The Huntsville City Schools Board of Education Culture of Cronyism and Capitalism Continues

Huntsville Superintendent of Schools Dr. Casey Wardynski announces his resignation at a press conference Wednesday afternoon at the Annie Merts Center as fellow sore loser Laurie McCaulley looks on.  Don't let the doorknob hit either one of you.  (Bob Gathany/bgathany@AL.com)

EYE know it's been a while since EYE have blogged about Huntsville City Schools  so let's start with a brief recap.

August 23, 2016, was the beginning of the end of an error (pun intended) when Michelle Watkins opened a big old can of you know what on incumbent District 1 HSCBOE misrepresentative, Laurie McCaulley and retired Huntsville City School teacher Pam Hill beat Wardynski #sockpuppet Carlos Matthews like drum to replace District 5 misrepresentative Mike Culbreath on the Huntsville City Schools BOE.  Cue in Oh Happy Day!

Fast forward to September 14, 2016, when Superintendent Casey Wardynski abruptly resigns, effective immediately, for "personal reasons".  Well, it turns out personal reasons are singular, not plural because the Mighty Casey has a has fallen in love with an HCS contractor, and not just any contractor, one with a multi-million dollar contract that just so happens to be up for renewal. And it's not just any contract, it's the Pinnacle contract.

Although the Seldon Center, the HCS alternative school according to page 17 of the current Student Handbook, isn’t due to close until the end of the year, the Pinnacle era has begun. This is from the contract between The Pinnacle Schools (TPS) and the HCS:

C1. Contract Period: The initial period for this Agreement will be a combination of a short academic term from February 2012 to July 2012 and an additional academic year from August 1 through July 31, 2013. The 2013 – 2014 Agreement year (August 1, 2013 through July 31, 2014) shall automatically renew unless the Superintendent provides TPS written notification that HCS will not renew at least 60 days prior to the commencement of the next Agreement year. 

2011 – 2012 (short academic period) – The cost to Huntsville City Schools will be $360,000 for 75 student slots. This amounts to a prorated cost of $4,800 per student. (This cost is based on a 6 month short term academic program HCS hereby agrees to pay TPS/ERTP, as compensation for services relating to this agreement, the sum of $159,688 for 5 contractual beds at Elk River Treatment Program at a rate of $150 per diem/bed/year for the period January 1, 2012 – July 31, 2012.

Wardynski claims he checked with his lawyers and they said there was no conflict of interest before they said there was a conflict of interest.  Confused yet?

Wardynski, a retired U.S. Army colonel, took the reins of the Huntsville city school system in 2011. Wardynski, whose wife passed away last December, said at the press conference that he will soon remarry.

His fiance is Karen Lee, CEO of Pinnacle Schools, an alternative placement school that handles discipline problems for Huntsville City Schools. Pinnacle has had a contract with the system since 2012.
The contract was under consideration for modification tomorrow, said school board president Laurie McCaulley.
"Earlier this summer Ms. Lee and I began dating," said Wardynski at the press conference. "I have talked to ethics attorneys and I shared with responsible authorities with the school system when I felt that it was an issue.

"It's my intention to marry Ms. Lee in December and have a life."
He said there was no current conflict of interest because state ethics laws apply to relatives, not dating relationships.

Since December 2011 some of us have been trying to tell some of Yall the Pinnacle contract stinks to high heaven.  But did some of Yall listen?  Nooo.   So here we are.  The new BOE of education will not be seated until November, which means the present BOE will name Wardynski's Interim mouthpiece,  EYE mean, successor.   You can't tell me there is not something rotten in the cotton.

Now EYE understand why this Superintendent, enabled by this BOE and the media, did everything in his power to silence critics. Can't have the public asking pesky questions on the record, they might actually be informed instead of misinformed.  

Wardynski uses fear, intimation, and HPD to control the narrative #HCSBOE.

#StraightOuttaHuntsvilleCitySchools

Under the capable command and control of Colonel Wardynski (aka Huntsville City Schools Instructional Leader), and his Cabinet (aka the Board of Education), Huntsville City Schools is now a Militarized Zone.  It's Wardynski's way or the highway.

Fresh off of dedicating the new state of the art Sonnie Hereford III Elementary School, and presenting the final draft of the much anticipated Behavioral Learning Guide, the BOE successfully bullied, threatened, intimidated, and harassed a citizen to prevent them from speaking.

A Pattern of Behavior

At last night's Huntsville school board meeting, Eddgra Fallin was removed by school officials and police after she began live streaming the meeting on Facebook with her phone.
The video has since been viewed nearly 5,000 times on Facebook.
"As I indicated last night, I was not violating any written rules, nor did I violate any law," said Fallin this morning. "The board room was practically empty. Prior to me being kicked out, aisles were full of people taking pictures and video of the college academy presentation and they were invited and encouraged to do so."
The citizen comments portion of the public meeting had just started and three citizens, including Fallin, were scheduled to speak, she said.

HCS  and Colonel Wardynski have a documented history of intimidating the  citizens of Huntsville, and  stifling dissent.

There were no less that six district security personnel at the board meeting tonight. And even more disconcerting than that, there were at least five marked Huntsville Police Department cars and one unmarked police car present at the meeting tonight.
During the citizen comments, which I think were nearly cancelled tonight as they were left off the agenda, there were approximately 10 security personnel in the board room.
And that was after all the general public entered the building through a metal detector again.
The only time this level of security was present was during the removal of the Lee High name from the new high school. Then I think there may have been three district personnel and perhaps two or three armed police officers.

 This is what the Consent Decree was designed to address.

One might argue that security was being used to intimidate members of the public for undertaking state statute protected activities. One might argue that the superintendent was attempting to influence the board and the public by using emotionally charged, racially charged images. One might argue that the superintendent was the one attempting to intimidate others the last time that citizen comments were broadcast in his comments to a teacher who stood up for what she believes in.
(I’m sure it’s just a coincidence that the citizen’s comments to the board weren’t broadcast during the board meeting immediately following the superintendent’s“cautioning” of a teacher. You know, the meeting where the citizen’s comments worked against him.)

This is what it's all about.

The Citizen Comments section of the board agenda provides an opportunity for public comment on any item concerning public education and provides for any resident up to three minutes to fully present his or her position on a particular issue. It also provides us an opportunity to appear to care about the little people as we pack up to go home. Speakers are required to include their name and address before speaking. A speaker must show the expected reverence due to the board of education when approaching the board. A speaker cannot delegate his or her time to another person. A speaker should approach the board slowly and quietly as the board members are easily threatened. We suggest that speakers keep their heads down at all times as eye contact with your superiors is inappropriate. Speakers will not be limited unless they become repetitive and no new information is provided or unless we’re just sick of hearing from you. The time clock is displayed in the front board station. God help you if you make any disparaging remarks, comments or statements pertaining to the good name and character of any individual. Finally, please do not expect any board action or response on a request or a comment made under this section unless you have sued us. This will allow the board the opportunity to pretend to responsibly study, research all expressed concerns, issues or requests and quietly dismiss them without embarrassment to us or harming our reelection campaigns.

The Devil, EYE mean, details are in the al.com comment section 
EYE always say if you want to see who those in positions of power and influence pander to, and how they really feel, hold your nose and sort through the anonymous commentators. You might accidentally trip over the truth.

"Board President Laurie McCaulley had stepped out of the room to take care of personal business just before the citizen comments began, so she missed the commotion." 

It's election season. Mrs. McCaulley stepped out of the room intentionally to keep her hands clean. She determines the order of the speakers for citizen comments. She knew Mrs. Fallin would be filming. It was planned to give Mrs. Fallin a hard time. Did you see the smug look on David Driscoll's face? It is time for new leadership on our school board!! The shenanigans and drama are completely unnecessary if the current board truly focused on kids and not on controlling and punishing the adults that step out of line.
None of the folks standing up to film and photograph earlier in the meeting were asked to sit down.

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.

Forced Busing City Schools Style and Black Home Life vs White Home Life #hcsboe





H/T CaseyBrown

 

 

So, the prevailing sentiment of those in positions of power and influence  is them there "public housing" the DOJ is forcing to attend "white" schools will be the nail in the coffin for Huntsville City schools,  white parents are going to flee as fast as their legs can carry them to private schools because everyone knows black children don't want to learn because of their "home life", or lack thereof.  Forgive the run on sentence, but it's the only way EYE can express my disgust for this terrible situation.

Huntsville Board of Education President Laurie McCaulley said her goal is for every child who has been rezoned to "feel like they're at home" in their new school.
To that end, the desegregation plan requires the system to hold an extensive orientation program for reassigned students.
Teachers and principals will also get at least eight hours of cultural responsiveness training this summer, which McCaulley said is especially important for educators who have never been around students from public housing.
"Teachers need to understand that mom may have been working third shift, and her focus may not be as much on parenting as it is trying to survive," she said. "Some of these students have challenges getting up in the morning and having something to eat."
Housing authority CEO Michael Lundy said an orientation program is key to getting students from public housing off to a positive start in their new schools.
"Opening day should not be the first time our kids visit the school or meet some of their fellow students," Lundy said this week.

Yep, the School Board President,and the Housing Authority CEO are enabling media driven racial stereotyping as evidenced by comments like this:

So, the teachers are going to have to spend more time with children from public housing. This means that they will have less time with the other (white) students.  Therefore, the other students will soon be under performing as well.   Oh goody, now we will have a city of under performers.   Oh wait, we have private schools.   Huntsville new plan for public education will succeed in bringing  other kids down to the public housing level and private schools with a lot more students.  

And this:

Allow me to play Nostradamus and tell you how this will end. Project kids being forced to move will not fare any better at Huntsville High because their home life will not have changed. Morale and discipline will plummet. Parents who can afford it will move their kids to private school. Huntsville High spirals in the direction of Johnson as quality students and teachers flee. Property values in the HHS district fall as people gravitate to Grissom district. HHS becomes a dump and then Grissom is targeted for diversification. Left wing busybodies demand more money for failing schools after the "Montgomerization" or "Chattanogification" of Huntsville city schools is complete. And the beat goes on...

On the other hand, the new plan will be very successful in spreading bad attitudes, attendance problems, violence and a multitude of other problems throughout the city.

Why should students from public housing be treated differently than any other students?  But that's not what this post is about.   I want to debunk the media driven narrative of the lack of "home life" in the black community with three words.... The Dugger Family.

What  kind of "home life" teaches that it's acceptable to mock a grieving father for personal political gain? EYE am looking at you Ted Cruz.

What kind of home life teaches if you are poor and pregnant you are on your own?

What kind of home life teaches that black people are natural born lazy Thugs, thieves, and Welfare Queens because they are born black?

What kind of home life teaches that black people are less than human?

Instead of worrying about black home life, you need to be worrying about white home life.

Note:  Posting will be light due to technical issues and family obligations.  Will post when I can, in the meantime read on, read often.~RedEye

Huntsville Sitty Schools Black/Brown/Poor Children are still "Waiting for Superman"

Huntsville City Schools March 11, 1963 -March 11, 2015  (Huntsville Times file)

Black/Brown/Poor students enrolled in Huntsville City Schools were dealt another blow yesterday when a group calling themselves the North Huntsville Collective (aka North Huntsville United for Action) jumped on the Segregation Today, Segregation Tomorrow, Segregation Forever bandwagon and threw them under the bus too.

Despite all the HOPE and PROMISES, the taxpayer funded Political Strategist, and the taxpayer funded lawyers  ,are the big winners, at the expense of north Huntsville Parents and students.  It seems the district was successful in making it's case that Huntsville be allowed to continue to operate a dual school system.  After all, we can't have middle class White's voting with their feet moving to Madison, or enrolling their children in private schools rather than have forced busing (code for integration).  After all, black/brown/poor students don't want, or deserve to have access to a quality public education because they are well.....black/brown/poor.  If the criminals (code for black/brown/ poor) from north Huntsville are allowed to sit next to white students in the classroom some of their blackness might rub off on them.  But I digress.

So, the North Huntsville Collective says the plan is OK and they plan to monitor it persistently, after they said the plan failed north Huntsville Schools.  Really?  And how do they plan to monitor a plan that can't be monitored?  And what makes them believe this administration and this school board are going to listen to them about anything? Heck, they won't even allow black elected officials and community leaders to hold a press conference on the steps of the Merts Center.  They won't allow citizens to comment at public meetings without writing down their questions and having them read by a Mime.  They no longer televise citizens comments because citizens might actually be informed instead of misinformed.  They have teachers and parents afraid to speak out.  So good luck with that persistent monitoring thingy. 

Wardynski was right, this whole rezoning thing was much ado about nothing, and in my humble opinion, and mine alone,  the North Huntsville Collective got played big time, again,  and now they are trying to play the students and taxpayers of north Huntsville.  Did they bother to ask taxpayers what they thought of the plan and if it was OK with them?  Nope.  Did they ask they ask the students how they feel about the plan?  Nope.  They issued a statement without citizens, church members, or membership input/approval.  They are no different that the District 1 School Board mis-representative and the media, telling us what they want us to know, instead of what we need to know to make informed decisions.  Nope, there will be no profiles in courage award presented to the North Huntsville Collective, or whatever they are calling themselves today..

And who wins in the end?  Not the children and taxpayers who reside in north Huntsville that's for sure.

So after months and possibly years of litigation over the rezoning plan, what have we won? 

The district will still be under the control of the DoJ except now the plan that the DoJ believed would best bring us unification has been rejected. 

The DoJ still controls our destiny. Does fighting their plan (even assuming we’ve seen their plan) bring us closer to unification?
Nope. It doesn’t.
The Wardynski Plan is a fool’s errand. We did not have to file it. And the public has had zero input into the plan.
So, after potentially years of litigation and expense, we will have accomplished absolutely nothing, even if we win.
Nothing except the following:

1. Wardynski has shored up support for himself in this town because he’s willing to fight the “evil” federal government.
2. Wardynski has improved his name recognition on a national level.
3. Wardynski has spent a ton of the district’s money that he should be spending on improving education at all of our schools. And of course,
4. We’re still a segregated system.

I know for a fact north Huntsville citizens were HOPEFUL CHANGE we could believe in was on the way.  We put our hopes and dreams in the hands of the desegregation judge only to have the hammer dropped on us.  I sure do miss the good old days when public education was the HOPE of our republic,  and we had instructional leaders who believe  every child can learn with the right approach.  In the meantime, black/brown/poor  parents and students will continue to wait for Superman to leap tall buildings with a single bound and save the day, because they certainly can't depend on their elected officials, pastors and community organizations to do anything but go along to get ahead, I mean, along.

RedEye

#hcsboe Using our tax dollars to baffle us with BullPoop with our tax dollars, one news story at a time

HsvCatfish: Al.Com just can't get enough coverage.  Will somebody help hold McCaulley up?  Looks like she is about to topple over.   Also looks like the David Driscoll Group Christmas Card Photo. Keep smiling, at least the special investigator will have a group photo to go by.  

EYE see our taxpayer funded Political Strategist is hard at work with a full, scale, media , offensive, trying to convince the public a pile of Poop is really a Rose. Sniff Sniff   EYE can't believe they have the nerve to use the Civil Rights struggle to justify this mess.  Strike that, yes EYE can.  The only thing missing is hearing from the "other side",  but EYE guess that would be too much like right.   Pun intended.

 So here's the deal, The Chamber's Board of Directors, Warynski, and the BOE wants Unitary Status in theory but not in practice.  They want to be able to say they don't have a dual school system while they maintain and operate a dual school system.  I wonder what part of Unitary don't they understand?

Hey!  Look at that bright and shiny object over there....
RedEye

It's the #Racism and the #Poverty #Stupid #hcsboe

Huntsville City Schools March 11, 1963 -March 11, 2015  (Huntsville Times file)

According to the powers that be , Low-income (code for black/brown) children know 30 million fewer words and Huntsville City Schools plans to fix that by spying on them.  I kid you not.

This past Thursday, the Huntsville City Schools Board of Education voted unanimously and without asking any questions to approve a $93,500.00 contract with the LENA Foundation purportedly to help close the 30 million word gap that exists between children born above and below the poverty line.

Here is what we know we don't know about the latest spy, I mean LENA program.  

1. The recorder will likely record statements like, “You look like your daddy,” or other “not pleasant” conversations despite Ms. McCaulley’s and Mr. Davison’s assurances that it will only record, “wah, wah, wah” like Charlie Brown’s teacher. LENA’s website makes this clear. They will be recording children.
2. The district will target low-income families and entice them to record their conversations with “diapers, formula” and a likely guaranteed spot in the Pre-K program after the child turns 3 or 4.
3. The district believes that parents (at least poor parents) don’t know how to talk to their children.
4. The district believes that sending a text message to parents reminding them to talk to their children and bribing parents to attend a weekly and then monthly meeting will fix this problem.
5. The district believes that it is completely acceptable to turn infants into data points that are available for review by any “stakeholder” at any time day or night via a smartphone.
6. The board members are more interested in laughing at Dr. Wardynski’s attempts at humor than they are actually doing research to see if the things he is recommending actually have any basis in reality.

This school board ,and their media enablers, have demonstrated they are not willing to admit there is a problem, much less less solve it.  They think all they have to do is throw some money at some clueless consultants, blame the victims (parents,child, community), and it will go away.  Not.

It's the Racism. 

 Racism, and its ability to increase the odds that a pregnant mother will deliver her child early, can kill. There is also evidence that racism can alter the capacity for a child to learn and distorts lives in ways that can reproduce inequality, poverty and long-term disadvantage, the studies found.

 Kramer’s findings also suggest that since poor minority families often concentrate in sections of a city and therefore send their children to the same set of the nation’s increasingly segregated (by both race and class) schools, children struggling to learn due to a preterm birth aren’t evenly disbursed. Some schools are likely serving large numbers while others, in wealthier communities and those serving mostly white students, may be serving few to none.

The reason low income children know 30 million fewer words is because their parents are products of the Huntsville City School System.  The reason their parents are low income is because their parents are products of the Huntsville City School system.   It's a vicious cycle.

Maybe if HCS invested in children, instead of Lap Tops and Ipads, a  Director of Community Engagement,   a Political Strategist,  an off the books Spy program,  Attorneys fees, and would stop replacing certified teachers with Teach for America, we could get to the root of the problem and break the cycle of poverty and ignorance instead of perpetuating it. 

"It's easy as A-B-C, 1-2-3"
Step 1  Admit you have a problem
Step 2  Identify the problem
Step 3  Solve the problem

RedEye

I guess it depends on what the defintion of a success "IS" #HSVBOE

University of Alabama students demonstrate in 1956 against the enrollment of a black student. (Associated Press)

After months of behind closed doors court ordered mediation, the Huntsville School Board and the Department of Justice emerged to claim success.

The Huntsville school board and the U.S. Department of Justice on Monday made public a proposed joint consent order that, if approved by the court, would bring to a close their dispute on the desegregation of the city's schools. 
In the order, they tell U.S. District Judge Madeline Haikala that the mediation was a success. The two sides have been in court-ordered mediation since last summer to determine the best way to rezone school zone boundary lines.

Actually this paragraph should read The Huntsville school board made public a proposed joint consent order after a 4 hour Executive Session on Friday disguised as a special call meeting.  I guess it depends on what the definition of success IS because from what I've read, nothing has changed.

Let's recap, U.S. District Judge Madeline Haikala ruled the courts could find no evidence the school district was not operating a dual school system.  For those who don't know what a dual school system IS, it's a nice way of saying the school district is segregated.  For those who don't what segregated means, it means the the district is operating one system for black students, and one system for white students, separate and unequal.  Nothing, I repeat nothing, indicates the school district will cease to be segregated.

Judge Haikala slammed the Huntsville School board for their lack of transparency and community input. 

And she didn't accept the hurried "community conversations" as adequate community participation in the city's rezoning efforts. She wrote the meetings were held days before the plan was submitted and Wardynski himself acknowledged no changes were made as a result of meeting with the public.
"Thus, the Board provided little opportunity for meaningful community feedback after it announced its school assignment plan."

She accused the school board of trying to undermine the process  and dropped the hammer on HCS board member Laurie McCaulley's  little "community conversations" masquerading as "a citizens workshop on unitary status" .

Did this school board learn a lesson and change  the way they do business?  Heck no.  They continue to give the judge, and the public they are supposed to serve, the middle finger.

Parents will not have questions answered at three public meetings about Huntsville City Schools new plan to get out of the decades-old desegregation order.
The meetings are scheduled to start this Saturday.
These public meetings were originally called forums but they don't sound anything like a forum.
Parents can share their comments or concerns about the plan with an independent moderator at the meeting.
They can also do it online.
However, the only thing that moderator will do is record the message and give it to both the Justice Department and Huntsville City Schools legal teams.
Both sides will review the statements and decide whether the current agreement should be modified based on parent input.

Sound familiar? 

I must give credit where credit is due,  I was outfoxed (pun intended) by the Huntsville School Board of mis-education last Thursday.  Expecting a large crowd, I arrived at the meeting early in order to get a seat with the intention of signing up to speak.  I falsely assumed since the sign up sheet was not in its usual place it was not part of the required protocol.  Regular readers are familiar with the boards new policy requiring citizens comments be written on 3x5 index cards (which were available) and censored/read by the Director of Community Engagement.  Little did I know, there was a sign up sheet before there wasn't a sign up sheet, which I'm sure was just a coincidence. :)

For the record, nothing has changed, there is no community input, there was no community input, and there will never be any community input if this board can help it.   So here's the plan, if they can get their cronies to submit a bunch of statements saying that they like their plan it will look as though a majority of the citizens are in favor of the things that they want. Of course no one else will be able to check out what they submit to verify it's accurate and if is it above board.  Nod, nod, wink, wink.

Who says you can't do the same thing over and over and not expect a different result?  That's certainly the sentiment of this board, here we go again with a  proposed Desegregation Advisory Committee, a 12 member panel, chosen by the Superintendent, and a pair of students, chosen by the Superintendent, to advise the Superintendent and the court of progress.  Yeah right.   This sounds like the J.O.Johnson naming committee on steroids, and another Coup d'etat to me.  it's Deja Voodoo all over again.

Some of us tried to tell some of y'all mediation outside of the public eye was going to turn into a backroom deal that benefited the status quo.  Our only HOPE Huntsville City School Schools will cease operating a dual school system lies in the hands of Judge Haikala, where it should have been in the first place,  because this board ,  and this Superintendent ,are determined to ignore the United States Supreme Court. 

See picture above.

Why did Huntsville City Schools pay a former FBI agent to spy on black students? Because they could?

  #hsvboe members Elisa Ferrell and Walker McGinnis, Laurie McCaulley, Superintendent Casey Wardynksi

Alabama media group state enterprise reporter Challen Stephens investigative reporting of the Huntsville City Schools SAFe program garnered national attention.  Although they were tardy to the party, the story was eventually picked up by mainstream blogs,  print media, and television. Oh the shame of it all!

So how does Huntsville City Schools respond?  The newly installed President of the board, who didn't know nothing before she knew something, announces they cutting the security consultant services from the budget and will operate the program internally with the district's security team headed by Al Lankford, the system's chief security officer.   Nod Nod Wink Wink

Uh, how do you cut services from the budget that were never in the budget?  And is this the same district security team whose budget was just slashed and work force reduced?  Is this the same chief security officer who thought he was talking to the NSA (National Security Agency)?  Oh, OK

Now, let's separate fact from spin.

HCS is NOT ending the program.

They have NOT answered any questions about the origins of the program.

We still do not know who authorized the expenditure $157,190 for Mr. McRae.

We still do not know exactly how the $2,295,608.00 that we've paid T&W Operations since 2013 has been spent since only about half of that was approved by the board.

They are attempting to sweep this under the rug in the hopes that the public will forget.

 A better question, perhaps, is whether Alabama — land of the fiscal conservatives — should be spending $110 an hour looking for kids bragging about their pot-smoking exploits online. At the very least, they should've funneled a little more cash into designing that logo.

We must laugh to keep from crying.

The Coup d'etat of the J.O. Johnson High School PTSA

 

Huntsville Superintendent Casey Wardynski, center, and school board president Laurie McCaulley, right, listen Monday afternoon as Huntsville resident Carlos Mathews talks about the choosing of possible names for a new northwest Huntsville high school to replace Johnson High. Behind Mathews are pictures of astronauts Ronald McNair and Mae Carol Jemison, whose names may grace the new high school and a new junior high to be built on the same campus. (Crystal Bonvillian/cbonvillian@al.com)

Cue in music to The Harper Valley PTA

I want to tell you all a story about the Coup d'etat of  the J.O.Johnson PTA

After a prayer vigil to pray for peace and equality in the school district

Mending fences is the last thing on the mind of superintendent Casey Wardynski,

Well the next day, he and district 1 BOE representative  , and the president of the Huntsville Council of PTSA's went  over to the  J.O.Johnson PTSA  elections.

As Wardynski and  McCaulley, looked on  Elisa Ferrall told members of the J.O. Johnson Alumni Association they were not members of the PTSA because there was no record of their membership.  Imagine that!

They were also informed the application fees they paid were a donation.

So, they had a record of the donation but not the membership? Un Huh

Two members of the JOJ Alumni Association were allowed to vote, but here's the kicker, ballots were not secret, names had to be printed and signed or their vote wouldn't count.

Reynard Jones was elected President, and Carlos Matthews was elected Vice President of the J.O.Johnson PTSA by a vote of 21-2.  Neither of these persons have children attending J.O. Johnson,  nor are either J.O.Johnson Alums.  Hmmm...  I smell a Slave Catcher of the Week Award coming...

Both were members of the hand picked members of the so called naming committee.

Why did Wardynski  need to gain  control of the J.O.Johnson  PTSA? 

Possibly for the same reason he the BOE violated their own naming policy.

If the woman you see standing and speaking in this video looks familiar it's because she was just elected to the Huntsville City Schools Board of Mis-Education.

Boo!

Update~Blind Ambition has Lead District 1 HCS Board Mis-Representative Laurie McCaully to a Deserted Island

Huntsville Superintendent Casey Wardynski, center, and school board president Laurie McCaulley, right, listen Monday afternoon as Huntsville resident Carlos Mathews talks about the choosing of possible names for a new northwest Huntsville high school to replace Johnson High. Behind Mathews are pictures of astronauts Ronald McNair and Mae Carol Jemison, whose names may grace the new high school and a new junior high to be built on the same campus. (Crystal Bonvillian/cbonvillian@al.com)

In order to justify giving her constituents the middle finger again, District 1 school board misrepresentative Laurie McCaulley claimed she received 3 emails against and 30 emails in favor of extending Warydnski's contract.  None of which she produced.  What she did produce was an email she claims she received from the Huntsville Madison County Chapter of the Alabama New South Coalition the night before the vote, but AL.com reports the press release is dated the day of the vote. 

That support continued Thursday, when the Alabama New South Coalition issued a news release stating its case for Wardynski to remain at the head of Huntsville's school district. Wilbert Brownlow, president of the organization, cited improved test scores and attendance and graduation rates, the financial turnaround of the district, the massive ongoing capital plan, the Summer Feeding Program and efforts to achieve unitary status as accomplishments Wardynski has achieved since coming to Huntsville in 2011.
Click here to see the release from the Alabama New South Coalition. The coalition calls itself "Alabama's largest black political organization."

Note:  The link to the press release from the Alabama New South Coalitions works sometimes, and sometimes it doesn't.....

Watch and listen as McCaulley addresses claims of threats against the Superintendent and the Board.  (beginning at the 56-minute mark)

Oh, and if the letter sounds familiar it's because it's a version of the Chamber of Commerce/PTSA letter to the Federal Judge in the desegregation case calling black elected officials and community leaders liars.

Perhaps the strongest portion of the Chamber letter is a bullet point list of recent school programs, including: breakfasts for students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunches; increase pre-kindergarten for low-income families; centralized teacher assignment to racially balance faculties; laptops for every student in third grade or higher; extended school year for Title I schools.
"Committed 47% of capital programs to minority schools," asserts the Chamber.
"These actions demonstrate a commitment to equity and ultimately equality of education outcomes," concludes the letter, asserting support for the school board and Superintendent Casey Wardynski.

I wonder if the same person wrote Mayor Tommy Battle's letter to Judge Madeline Hughes Haikala?

Battle touts the hiring of Superintendent Casey Wardynski, new academic and testing initiatives, expanded after school programs, student meal programs and the building of new campuses.
"The turnaround I witnessed from four years ago is dramatic," he wrote. "Across the board, in every school for every child, Huntsville is offering a sound education."
Battle notes that the one-to-one computer initiative introduced new technology to families who had been without. He asserts that as a result of the digital initiative test scores are up, discipline problems are down and attendance is up.
"We believe our local School Board and Superintendent has the knowledge and expertise to know what is right for our community and what is best for our children," writes Battle.

Oh, and we can't leave out the motion filed by the NAACP Legal Defense Fund  (not to be confused with the Huntsville Madison County Chapter of the NAACP).

The NAACP Legal Defense Fund -- a plaintiff in the long-running suit -- split with the Justice Department on this issue and does not oppose Huntsville's plan.

"Especially in light of the growth of the City of Huntsville and its population, the mobility of its citizens and the enlargement of its territory, as well as the passage of more than four decades since effective system-wide desegregation was required by this Court and implemented, there is nothing about the Student Assignment Plan that could remotely be characterized as taking even the tiniest step toward effecting "the recurrence of the dual school structure," reads the March 10 motion from the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.

 Oh, what a tangled web we weave....

 What's happening outside of court? This dispute has tapped into all sorts of local hostilities. Madison County Commissioner Bob Harrison has blasted Superintendent Casey Wardynski for not meeting with black officials. Wardysnki ordered an audit of Harrisons' non-profit. Mayor Tommy Battle and the Chamber of Commerce and the PTA have written letters on behalf of the school board. Black ministers and all the elected black officials, save school board member Laurie McCaulley, have written in support of the Justice Department.

It is not wise to sell your constituents down the river.....

#hsvboe gives north Huntsville students, principals, teachers, elected officials, clergy, community leaders, and taxpayers the middle finger...again

The educational quality of Huntsville City Schools has not improved over the past two years. All that has improved is Wardynski’s ability to pretend that it has.~geekpavaler

OK, so I think I've calmed down enough to blog about the latest developments in the ongoing saga of the Huntsville City School system, and the desire of the Board of Education, City of Huntsville, the Chamber of Commerce, the PTSA, the board of Realtors, the media, and the business community to gain unitary status in name only, so they can self segregate without impunity.  Ironically this is a school system that used to have a reputation for diversity and academic excellence.  Being employed by Huntsville City Schools used to be a sought after privilege.

When I say the status quo wants a unitary school district in name only, it's because they think it's perfectly natural for schools to be identifiably white/black/brown/poor.  It's not their fault parents live in districts with failing schools.  If they want their child to attend a good school they should move into a district with good schools.  It's them there housing patterns (they created) in the name in urban renewal that are the cause of the self segregation.

The schools in north Huntsville are failing because of crime, and that's what the black clergy, elected officials and community leaders need to concentrate on instead of demanding equity and worrying about names of buildings, and rock quarries.  Typed with much sarcasm.

The children in north Huntsville don't want to learn, they are all aspiring gang members and thugs, whose parents want free stuff from the government so they use their money to  buy beer, guns, get their hair and nails done, and make babies out of wedlock.  It's makes no sense to throw good money after bad trying to educate them.  Snark

This is who they are and what they do.

The ACLU and a State Senator request information regarding the school districts monitoring of some students social media accounts and expulsions, they tell them to shove it.

The community organizes a march and a petition to keep the name and legacy of J.O.Johnson High School, they violate their own naming policy and rename the school, despite the fact they let other new schools keep their names after protests.

Black elected officials write a letter to the federal desegregation judge complaining about not being heard, they accused them of stealing money and trying to hurt the children.

Black ministers organize a mass community meeting in support of the  of the justice department, they stage a stand in the school house door, and a coup d'etat of the J.O.Johnson PTSA.

Parents and citizens try to address the board with their concerns, or generate a petition calling for the resignation of the superintendent,  they deny parents that right (pun intended) unless they live in Huntsville proper because it interferes with board business, and citizens have to write down their questions on index cards and have them read (if they are lucky) by the Director of Community Engagement, whose job it is to not only read the questions, but to write speeches for Board members, and send out mass emails ordering teachers and principals to attend a rally on the school house steps


North Huntsville Clergy and Community Leaders demand the resignation of Dr. Casey WARdynski and demand equity for north Huntsville schools, they extend his contract, make it ever green , without public comment.

Who the heck do north Huntsville elected officials, clergy, community leaders, and citizens think they are?  Taxpayers?  What gives them the right to demand anything?  Don't they know they need to government to take care of them?

About that Director of Community Spying.....
In a previous post, The Composer made a  tongue in cheek referral to David Driscoll as the Director of Community Spying, but when you look a little closer you find the characterization has a ring of truth.

Let's recap:

Who is David Driscoll?  According to his LinkedIn profile he is a former radio personality/sales director and President of the The Driscoll Group  consulting/business services. According to AL.com his firm does consulting work for Huntsville City Schools.

McGinnis, Wilder and Ferrell on Thursday issued a statement through the Driscoll Group, which does consulting work for Huntsville City Schools, in support of extending Wardynski's contract. 
"We believe extending Dr. Wardynski's contract an extra year is the right thing to do for the school system," the statement read. "With the ongoing court case, the construction of multiple schools and rapid changes being made to better educate our children, we feel that keeping the same team together is critical.

The Driscoll Group Facebook invites readers to check out the website they designed for soon to be former school board member/President, and failed State Senate candidate, David Blair. 

The counter protest in support of Casey Wardynski was organized and led by James Lomax,  whose LinkedIn profile says he was previously employed by the Driscoll Group.

Lomax, a young politically-active Huntsville resident who, until August, worked for the Driscoll Group, said he organized the rally because he worries that all of the negativity toward the superintendent will "scare him away."
"Casey Wardynski coming here has really changed the landscape of the school system," Lomax said. He said Wardynski has done an excellent job since becoming superintendent. 
"You don't fire someone doing a good job," Lomax said.

Back to the Director of Community Spying....remember when Casey Wardynski was invited to attend a town hall meeting in north Huntsville organized by Councilman Richard Showers, which he refused to attend, but said he knew everything that was said because he said "he had people there"?  Don't know about people, but I know one person that was there, and at all other community meetings.....
David Driscoll.

Enter the New South Slave Catchers, I mean, Coalition

In order to justify giving her constituents the middle finger again, District 1 school board member Laurie McCaulley claimed she received 3 emails against, and 30 emails in favor of extending Warydnski's contract.  None of which she produced.  What she did produce was an email she claims she received from the Huntsville Madison County Chapter of the Alabama New South Coalition the night before the vote, but AL.com reports the press release is dated the day of the vote.  Oh what a tangled web we weave....

Fellow blogger Field Negro awards Field Negro and House Negro status for behavior that merits the special designation.  Eye (pun intended) am going to start calling out Slave Catcher behavior.  What is a slave catcher you ask?  I turn the floor over to Field Negro:

You see a house Negro simply stayed in the house with massa, and he liked the house and everything in it. He would do everything to stay in the house, and would protect the house at all cost because he had a stake in it. It was where he lived, and it was where he found comfort. He would never speak against massa like the field Negroes, because he didn't want to risk losing all of that. But, even worse than the house Negro, was the slave catcher. This was the Negro who searched hardest to find us when we ran away. It was the slave catcher who the master would give the whip to tear into us when we stepped out of line. It was the slave catcher who ran right behind the blood hounds and in front of the master, when he thought one of us was hiding in the woods. It was the slave catcher who always did the master's most barbarous and sadistic deeds that even the master would not do. The slave catcher hated us even more than the master did. Who knows why? Maybe some sick demented sh#t in his past, maybe some psychological sickness that prevented him from wanting to be a part of something he has no control over. Or, a sick desire to be accepted by only those who didn't look like he does. Only the slave catcher and his shrink knows for sure.

The behavior of district 1 Board Representative Laurie McCaulley, and Wilbert Brownlow, incoming President of the Huntsville Madison County Chapter of the New South Coalition, have earned them the title of  Slave Catchers of the Week.  Just because you like being in bondage doesn't mean the rest of us want to remain in bondage.