How dare #HCSBOE Reps Michelle Watkins And Pam Hill represent the wishes of their con·stit·u·ents

Huntsville City Schools Board of Education Representatives Michelle Watkins left, Pam Hill right

Long Sigh

 Here we go again.    

You know the drill.  

Elected officials who actually represent the wishes of their constituents are told to go along to get along or else the establishment will (as my Daddy used to say)  come down on them like a cow urinating (my word not his) on a flat rock. 

Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle issued a statement today to address the letters he sent to two Huntsville school board members, chastising them for their behavior at a recent board meeting.
"Last week, the Huntsville Board of education experienced a particularly contentious meeting, prompting a number of concerned calls to my office," Battle said in the letter, which was sent as an e-newsletter titled "Inspiring Confidence."
"I am concerned by the perception we are giving industry and our children," Battle continued. "City Hall does not attempt to interfere in the management of the City School System; however, as your mayor of this great city, it is my role to promote Huntsville, which means earning the confidence of incoming companies and families to trust our public schools with the education of their children."

On Friday, Battle sent what he called a "personal message" to Huntsville board members Michelle Watkins and Pam Hill. The letters, which were identical, were written on city letterhead, signed by Mayor Tommy Battle, and sent to the two elected officials at the school board office.
The letters said, among other things, that their behavior at the meeting "did not reflect the values we have established in our community."

EYE am still trying to figure out why Mayor Battle chose Women's History Day of all days to chastise two female elected officials for doing their jobs, and EYE have to wonder if he chastised their behavior for political gain. 

Two big-city Alabama mayors, viewed as popular candidates for statewide office someday, found themselves embroiled in local controversies this week.
But political observers in Alabama doubt that either Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle or Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson will face much backlash from their separate issues.
And as one observer noted, the incidences that have been viewed as missteps could turn out to be helpful in pumping up name recognition statewide.
"These two little blips are probably more beneficial than not," said Steve Flowers, a political columnist and commentator based out of Troy. "It gets their name out there. I don't think the average person cares if Tommy Battle got mad at a school board member. It looks like (to them) that he's doing his job."

EYE guess it depends on what the definition of the average person IS because this average person sees a sexist, paternalistic, bully.  

For Battle, an early poll among conservative voters has listed him high on a list of gubernatorial hopefuls. The Alabama Forestry Association, in a poll in August on the 2018 gubernatorial election had Battle trailing only behind former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore and current U.S. Senator Luther Strange.

Now if that doesn't scare the bejesus out of you EYE don't know what will.  It also explains why Alabama is stuck on stupid.  Politicians pander to concerned citizens aka conservative voters at the expense of everyone else, if you don't believe me the proof is the al.com anonymous comment section.  

Concerned citizens like this:  Battle was right to chastise those 2 clowns.

Conservative voters like this:  Did you watch the board meeting? They were throwing a fit interrupting everyone about not getting an email that they did receive. Even when other members were trying to simply clarify what was going on they wouldn't let anyone get a full sentence out. It is one thing to decry dirty tricks, it is another to make them up because you aren't getting your way. They even eventually got their way once Wilder was able to get her questions answered. These two women are blatantly disrespectful every board meeting. You can disagree with people and not make a spectacle of yourself. It's no wonder there is (sic) discipline issues in the school if a woman like Pam Hill was teaching these kids for the past 20 years. I feel for any kid subjected to that kind of abuse.

Concerned citizens like this:  No matter what your belief, this was a public official meeting. The behavior demonstrated was embarrassing. Should the mayor have gotten involved? Probably not but shame on the other board members for not trying to put a stop to the childish display between the 2 individuals. If you want a cat fight, wait til after the meeting and meet in an alley.

Conservative voters like this:  Wow. that's a bit of a stretch! Out of the Mayor's letter, you pulled that he wants people to act like they are fixing problems but not actually fix them? The Mayor was very clear... when you are new to politics, you may not realize that the way you act in a meeting means something. Being "passionate" about an issue is great... being in charge of a meeting and losing control... not so much. Meetings have rules to keep people from doing what they did. If all meetings allowed for anyone to start losing their minds, nothing gets done and confidence in the system and in the elected members is eroded. The Mayor speaks for the City and if the City looks like a bunch of out out-of-control political newbies, he should say something. And he did. Good job Mayor Battle.

According to the white male dominated media enabled clueless consultants, Alabama voters are either stuck on stupid or suffer chronic amnesia. 

But Brown, along with Flowers, is doubtful the letter and the reaction to it will have a long-lasting impact.
"He's obviously very visible in the Huntsville media market, mayor for three terms now," said Brown. "If you have a crowded field, someone like that might take their regional base in the Huntsville metro area and do well enough there to acquire enough votes to make runoff."
Said Flowers: "If someone would read on AL.com that Battle had an argument with a school board member, my perception is that he's wanting to do a good job as mayor. It looks like he's doing a good job ... that he's interested in doing a good job as mayor."

Now EYE understand why #SweetHomeAlabama is the most conservative state in the nation. We have got to take our state back from conservative voters and Make Alabama Great  ...EYE won't say "again" because Alabama was never great in the first place.

Until the majority of the people of this state – the average, common workers and poor, impoverished workers – figure out that we’re all getting the shaft from the race-based, elite-aiding policies pushed by our lawmakers, we deserve exactly the job market and poor quality of life that such idiocy produces.
It’s time for a change that only we can bring.
Stop concerning yourself with whether an idea is “liberal” or “conservative.” Stop worrying if it was put forth by a Republican or a Democrat. Or if it’s a policy to aid *whisper* “the blacks.”
Instead, ask this simple question: is it a policy that helps me and people like me.

  Wake up everybody.  It is time to see a new day. It's time to stop electing people who pander to conservative voters.  We can start by seeking out real news sources where we the public can find real facts and not alternative facts.
  
There are more of us than there are of them.

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.  

An open Letter to Mayor Tommy Battle

Bob Gathany / The Huntsville Times Huntsville Mayor Tommy

Dear Mayor Battle,

It's me, RedEye.  How's that "One City, One Vision "  thingy working out for you?  The reason I ask is because it appears you have a new Battle Plan, one that doesn't include residents/taxpayers who live/work/play in north Huntsville.  Or, should I say, those who try to live/work/ play in north Huntsville?  In case you haven't notice, the quality of life is on the decline in north Huntsville, but I digress, the purpose of this letter is to address the J.O.Johnson name change controversy,  which I know you are aware of, because representatives from your office attend community meetings, marches, and school board meetings.

During the Huntsville City Council meeting Councilman Richard Showers  said the following in regards to the J.O. Johnson issue (emphasis mine):

7:30 pm. During council comments, Richard Showers said Johnson High School supporters opposed to changing the school's name were treated "less than a dog" at last week's Huntsville Board of Education meeting.
Despite a petition signed by about 1,500 people wanting to keep the Johnson name on a new northwest Huntsville high school on Pulaski Pike, the school board voted to name the new school for Mae Carol Jemison. A Decatur-born astronaut, Jemison was the first black woman to travel in space.
Johnson supporters "were talked down to (at the school board meeting) as if they were animals," said Showers. "I couldn't believe this was happening in this city."

Former J.O.Johnson assistant band director Reggie Hill said changing the name of a failing school does not address the underlying problems. "Are we really going to fix any issues by simply changing the name of the school?" said Hill.

Michelle Watkins said new and expanding industry will continue to avoid northwest Huntsville as long as there are "substandard" public schools. "A name change does nothing if the stigma remains the same and the resources continue to be focused on other areas," .


Casey Brown, president of the J.O. Johnson Alumni Association, said the school board "actively ignored" the wishes of 1,500 people who signed a petition opposing the name change.
"If we're One Huntsville, how come no one in northwest Huntsville has their vote respected or their word respected?" He then asked where you stood  on the Johnson name change?

And you, Mayor Battle,  said this:

While not addressing the name change directly, Battle said he believes Superintendent Casey Wardynski is attacking the problem of "disparate" schools through better technology and an aggressive student assessment program. Some struggling schools in northwest Huntsville have posted 25 percent gains in reading and math, he said.

Well, I guess it depends on what your definition of attacking the problem of "disparate" schools IS.  If you believe  Wardynksi  is attacking the problem of "disparate" schools by replacing books with laptops/IPads (without parental input), replacing certified teachers with Teach for America Teachers (in north Huntsville Schools), and testing instead of teaching, I have some swamp land in Arizona to sell you.

"We have to have good schools; we have to have schools that are equal," said Battle.

 In order to have good schools, all schools have to be good.  In order to have schools that are equal, all schools have to be treated equally. The J.O. Johnson name change issue is a prime example of separate and unequal treatment.  Case in point, Lee High School.

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- Students marched from the current Lee High School to the new one this morning in reaction to a proposal to eliminate the Lee High School name when a newly constructed replacement school opens in the fall.
Superintendent Dr. Casey Wardynski showed up at the protest and talked to the students, convincing them to go back to class and promised no repercussions for the walk-out.
"These young people obviously have an opinion," Wardynski said. "I think the way that young folks express themselves is important, but there is a safer way to do it."
The 250 or so students walked out of the current Lee building at about 8:05 a.m. and around to the front of the new building. They stopped there and started chanting "Lee High School!", "Save Our School!" and "Show your L!"
They went back to class after Wardynski walked into the middle of them and told them he appreciated their opinion and would not punish them for protesting.

Compare and contrast the treatment of Lee High protesters with the treatment of J.O.Johnson protesters.

First, they stacked the agenda with long presentations, and seats were saved for teachers/employees prior to the public being allowed to enter the board room.  Second, citizens were told to write down their questions on cards to be given to the board members and they would decide which ones were to be read or answered.  Citizens were not allowed to ask questions of the BOE.  A handpicked Pastor was "asked" and allowed to speak, however Reverend Mark Johnson, nephew of J.O. Johnson left because the BOE kept changing the rules and he thought he wasn't going to be allowed to speak.

Compare and contrast the outcome of the Lee High School name change controversy with the outcome the J.O.Johnson name change controversy.(Emphasis mine)

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- Dr. Casey Wardynski, Huntsville's new superintendent, backtracked on his proposal to change the name of Lee High School Thursday night following a day of protest by students, alumni and parents.
Lee High School students carried signs boasting "General pride" and beseeching the school board to keep the school's name as board members walked into their meeting. It was the second, albeit smaller, protest of the day as students and alumni expressed anger over Wardynski's proposal.
Wardynski was considering a name change in conjunction with moving both Lee and New Century Technology High School students into the new facility.
Initial reports indicated that hundreds of students might converge on the Annie C. Merts Center. The protest outside fizzled to about a dozen students, though parents and students packed into the board room for the meeting.
In the end, Wardynski heeded the opinions of the students -- and the school board -- and announced that the words "Lee High School" would be added back to the new school's facade, where they had been removed earlier in the day. Audience members in the board room and in the hallways of the Merts Center cheered.

So why is Lee allowed to keep it's name after protest but J.O.Johnson is not?  Here's why:

 "There's been any number of councilman and officials call to inform me that I've made a gargantuan mistake," Wardynski said, to applause from the crowd that made him smile. "Thank you for acknowledging my mistake."
Wardynski said that while the objectives of the new school is to increase student achievement and give students a bright future, another objective is to be a good neighbor.

Oh really? A number of council and officials called to inform Wardynski it would be a gargantuan mistake to change Lee High Schools name, but the same council (with the exception of  Showers) and officials are quiet as a mouse when it comes to J.O.Johnson.  Evidently it's not important to a "good neighbor" to ALL anymore.

Mayor Battle, north Huntsville residents voted for you in record numbers both times because you promised there would be One Huntsville. Now don't get me wrong, north Huntsville taxpayers aren't asking for special treatment, nor are we asking city government to take care of us, we are asking for equal treatment because we pay taxes and vote too.  We love the city of Huntsville, but we have to ask, does the city of Huntsville love us?

And no, a meeting to discuss renaming Church street after Rev. Joseph Lowery is not going to appease us, if you can discuss renaming Church Street you can discuss renaming J.O.Johnson High School.  Now if you want to discuss renaming Pulaski Pike or Meridian Street after Rev.Joseph Lowery......

Sincerely,
RedEye