Thursday, August 16, 2007

SCHOOL BOARD REACTS TO PUBLIC

A gaggle of geese?
You might remember the post about the Albuquerque School Board changing a kid's grade from an F to D? And how the public got into the act (looking to recall the free loading Board members)?
Well, the Board took action yesterday to make sure that faux pas isn't repeated. (Just showing off my French. And that's about all there is, too.) How they did it makes me scratch my head and shake it to hear the rattles.
Seems they added "to the student handbook", that poor communication between school officials and parents is not sufficent to alter a kid's grade.
You read that right. "Student handbook." What is that? A job description for kids? What legal standing does a "handbook" have? Click on the header to see it.
In other news, the Board increased its per diem to $85. All of the Board members live in the area. Lunches are expensive.
The Board also unanimously approved keeping the names of cadidates for superintendent secret. That is, until they narrow it down to three candidates. Seems to me that violates a state open records law. But one doesn't expect a bunch of lawyers to know about that. And they also approved $100,000 to be spent on the search. I wonder if that's a reasonable amount?

12 comments:

alphonsedamoose said...

Is a student happen the rules the student is to abide by.
Also our school board is up for election this October but just gave our crappy superintendent a 5 year contract. Now that is arrogant

Catmoves said...

moose, you have me confused. What is that first sentence?

Rachelle said...

2 words for you:
Home Schooled

Yup, done it with both my kids over the years, and my junior in HS will be doing it again this year.

Public schools are a joke these day..... sheesh, I'm such a cynic....
:))
Slainte~
Rachelle

Lin said...

"The Student Handbook" - sounds like another lawyer's list of liability CYA to me.

I've heard so many tales of outrageous School Board irregularities from so many places I have lived. Genuine public accountability and transparency would be a nice change, methinks.

I didn't understand Moose's first sentence either. Then again, there's a lot of interesting graze blooming up there in the mountains right now for a moose to get into. Either that or his grandson was front and center at the time.

alphonsedamoose said...

Student handbook is a book of rules for students to follow. Sorry about that.

Unknown said...

A 100,000 to search for what? Aren't they nominated? You are talking about the Superintendant, right? See, this is why I spent all those hours in the Superintendants office in our little school system in Southampton County.

I hated the student handbook. The only good thing about it was the listing of school closings. In our school system, the handbook was a all the rules and regulations, fees, and what have yous the parents needed to know. God help the parent who relied on the student to inform him of such.

They keep the names of the candidates a secret. What, do they think they are a lodge or something? Call a local new station until someone lends an ear. That's what we did.

Catmoves said...

Just Me the 100 grand is for placing ads, flying the candidates to Albuquerque and putting them up.
Sounds like a lot of money to me, considering the last time we looked for a superintendent we only had three candidates here.
Geeze, I musta gone to school in the dark ages. The only "handbook" we had was senior students. They told us how it was and what we had to do.
I sent emails to three local news stations. Waiting to hear from them.

Catmoves said...

No problem moose. A book of rules. Hmmmm. That sounds like they're there to get rid of impossible students. I wonder if it works. Apparently its applied only when the school board wants it to be applied.

Catmoves said...

lin I'm glad I'm not the only one who never heard of a "handbook".
Public accountability in a snap job where you get a fat salary for somewhat irregular meetings and nice pleasant lunches and dinners? Lin ya gotta stop upsetting the pork barrels.
I understand those pointy three lobed plants are blooming all over Canada in the summer.
If it was his grandson, that cute little bugger would wind me around his finger too.

Catmoves said...

Rachelle don't have any rug rats at home anymore, but those we did have all learned to read before they went to school and learned to reason before they left High School. And not because of any book larning in school. We taught them before there were any programs for home school.
And we did it without punishing them in any way.
There's nothing cynical in your comment from what I understand of today's schools. Tenure helps makes for some crappy teachers in many cases. Sort of like giving our elected politicians retirement benefits for as little as one term.
Slainte~

alphonsedamoose said...

WE'LL BLAME IT OM THE GRANDSON AND NOT MY TYPING SKILLS.

Catmoves said...

Moose you cannot blame your phat phingers on that darling grandchild. One look and anyone would know butter wouldn't melt in his mouth.
Oh, BTW, did he hold down the caps key?