Blind stupidity

I just received some emails from a public information request. If you didn't know, you can ask for emails sent by Board members as they are all public record. The problem, however, is that it takes months to receive them and, by then, the issue you are trying to address has faded away or changed altogether.

This last request, however, was well worth the wait.

The first 2 emails in my request were from Kevin Hill - dated Dec. 2011 - just before he was elected as Board chair while Margiotta was still in office as Chairman of the Board.

What was shocking about these emails is that they are not only blindcopied to Susan Evans, Christine Kushner and Jim Martin (who had been elected but had not taken office yet - and were active members/leaders in GSIW) but the BCC also includes Yevonne Brannon - the de facto leader of Great Schools in Wake (GSIW). 

Now, why would the leaders of GSIW be secretly copied in any email to other Board members and the superintendent?

We all knew that the new majority quietly and illegally collaborated behind the scenes - counting their votes for a new chair and new vice-chair upon their swearing-in back in 2011. What we couldn't confirm was that that leaders of GSIW have been intimately and inappropriately involved in these decisions all along.

Now remember... the Wake County Taxpayer's Association (WCTA) accused Hill and the Board majority of being directed and heavily influenced by GSIW in their complaint to AdvancED. WCPSS's response flatly denied this.

And yet we now have evidence (see emails to the left) that Hill has been purposefully yet secretly copying in leaders of GSIW in emails sent to Board Members and to then-Supt. Tata.

Further, many of the emails Hill sent over the past few years are BCC'd to his own personal email. Hmmm..? It seems, at some point, Hill smartened up and chose to forward the information to GSIW from his private email rather than a capturable blind copy. Where did he send them from there? That information was not provided in my request but I'm sure I could guess correctly.

So, what have we learned here?

1. Hill is a liar.

2. GSIW are liars.

3. GSIW is actively involved in decisions affecting your family - and that should be of great concern to you.

4. The only thing wrong in the WCTA complaint to AdvancED is that they didn't implicate Kevin Hill as yet another GSIW collaborator.

5. If Hill is BCC'ing emails to GSIW, Evans, Kushner & Martin are too.

6. All decisions from the Democrats on this School Board - including the firing of Supt. Tata - have been political. The liberals of Wake County say when and these Board members jump at the chance to please.

7. You should write the Board with your concerns.


GSIW is now attacking the General Assembly and bills S325 and S236 - which would change School Board elections and oversight for school construction. But, don't be fooled. They don't care how these bills affect education. They are throwing their predictable tantrums and making noise because, with the Republicans in control, they are slowly losing their stranglehold on Wake County.

**As a side note, none of my other public information requests have ever shown BCCs. But, after receiving many email requests that contained threads of emails that did not have any WCPSS email attached, I wondered if BCCs were involved. Lo and behold, if you specifically ask for BCCs, they will be revealed.

Happy Holidays! You don't matter.

WCPSS just responded in writing to a complaint filed with AdvancED - the organization that accredits our high schools. In the original complaint, the Wake County Taxpayers' Association asserted that the liberal group Great Schools in Wake (GSIW) is basically pulling the strings on the School Board. Considering 3 of our current Board members are members of GSIW, it's not really a hard puzzle to put together.

GSIW wanted to end the choice plan. Done.  
GSIW wanted to go back to base assignments. Done.
GSIW hated Tata and wanted him fired. Done.
GSIW wants diversity quotas in assignment. Coming in the 2014-15 assignment plan. 

Not surprisingly, WCPSS claims in their response that the Choice plan was not dropped due to "extreme influence" from GSIW but due to the "...many complaints they received from constituents...". That's quite an ironic statement since the overwhelming majority of people who spoke out against the Choice plan wanted MORE choice and better defined neighborhood schools. Instead, the Dems on the school board voted to end choice and move backwards for a "do over" of past assignment plans. 

So, did the Democrats on the School Board really vote to drop the Choice plan because people complained? C'mon. Parents complained for years under the old assignment plan about reassignment, lack of stability, odious options and mandatory year-round to no avail. Maybe it's who you are - not what you're complaining about. Or maybe the Democrats on the School Board don't give a damn about what parents want - just what they (and GSIW) want.

Take, for instance, a reply from Kevin Hill - who was the Board Chair that led the charge to fire Supt. Tata without cause. In an email reply to a constituent in regards to Tata's firing, Hill said:

"My main and overarching concern is the institutional culture of the WCPSS.. I have 30+ years being part of that culture and I cannot let it erode further."

Protecting the institutional culture of WCPSS? I thought Hill was elected to serve the people of Wake County -- to listen to the people; to represent the people - not the school system.

Add this to Hill's email in which he calls parents selfish and arrogant, and it's very clear that you don't matter - you never did and you never will. Hill's head is buried in 30+ years of a culture that treats parents like the enemy and our children as pawns in a science experiment gone wrong. And he is making policy decisions to protect that culture - with complete disregard for what parents want. That makes GSIW very, very happy.

But let's not stop there.  

Back in April 2012, Jim Martin sent an email to all Board members discussing the parent survey about the Choice plan. (Yes, there was supposed to be a survey.) Once again, in true fashion, Kevin Hill replied - but only to Martin:

To: James Martin/Superintendent/WCPSS@Staff
From: Kevin Hill/Superintendent/WCPSS
Date: 04/30/2012 03:08PM

Subject: Re: Assignment Plan Survey

Jim,

I do not believe we need to survey parents at this time . . . . We can talk.

Kevin L. Hill, Chairman
Wake County Board of Education
District 3
Email: KLHill@wcpss.net
Vmail: 919.850.8867
Fax: 919.841.4377 

 

"We can talk" for Kevin Hill is code for "Quit sending me stuff in writing. Let's just deal with this privately." Martin concurred and Hill sent back this warning in his reply:

From: "Kevin Hill" <klhill@wcpss.net>
To: "James Martin" <jmartin4@wcpss.net>
Date: 5/1/2012 8:36:47 AM
Subject: Re: Assignment Plan Survey

At this point, I believe the oft repeated phrase "Just say no," would be appropriate. We will waste money and the 95% (?) who did not participate will say they love the plan. The survey would simply become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Kevin L. Hill, Chairman
Wake County Board of Education
District 3
Email: KLHill@wcpss.net
Vmail: 919.850.8867
Fax: 919.841.4377  

The Board Chair was so convinced that parents would say "they love the plan" that he refused to survey them. That's right. He refused to ask parents of Wake County about the Choice plan because he already knew the answer - and he didn't like it.

Now, go back to the beginning of this post - where the Board majority tries to convince the public that the Choice plan was dropped due to complaints from parents and GSIW has no influence on their decision. It's getting harder to believe, isn't it?

Bottom line - the Democrats on the School Board believe your opinion about choice, stability and the school assignment for your child is irrelevant. 

But, you've already learned that. I hope.

What goes around, comes around

Back in January of this year, I wrote a blog post about the AdvancED complaint filed by the NAACP. (Read it first - if you haven't already. It will help with the history.)

While I stand by my claim that their complaint was ridiculous, I had to chuckle when I read that the Wake County Taxpayers Association (WCTA) has filed a complaint against the new Board majority. Now, I don't find it funny as it relates to our school system (although, accreditation is just a public perception thing, if you ask me), but it is extremely ironic. Or is this Karma?

The Democrats of Wake County - namely Great Schools in Wake - have taught others how to fight dirty and now their tactics are being used against them.

But, the WCTA complaint against the new Board is no joke. Unlike the NAACP, WCTA has their facts (and act) together. Each complaint listed is supported by documentation - whether a media article or a WCPSS document or email. They lay out a concise trail of breadcrumbs for AdvancEd on some serious issues of "...poor governance, inept and irresponsible leadership and lack of transparency and direction", as the complaint states. And this is before the 5-4 partisan vote to fire Supt. Tata!

So, where is the outrage over this? After the NAACP filed their complaint, Yevonne Brannon and her GSIW fringe group were shouting from the rooftops. In October 2010, Brannon and Patty Williams issued the following statement:

“By acting with impunity in moving forward with a massive student reassignment plan,
the Board majority has caused the public to lose confidence in and question their ability
to govern responsibly. Even citizens who voted for majority members are saying, ‘This is not what I voted for.’”

Sounds familiar, doesn't it? Here's what Brannon said in January 2011:

“This majority repeatedly claims to care about the wellbeing of students, yet, when the going gets tough, they put their own self-interests ahead of those of our children. Once again, they are rushing to judgment without regard for how their decisions will impact the reputation of our award-winning school system.”

Wow. Are Brannon's words coming back to haunt her?

After witnessing the haphazard leadership and partisan actions and decisions of this Board majority, her statement is quite prophetic. And yet GSIW remains silent. And we're to believe that it's not about politics? Yeah, right.

In the last monitoring report from AdvancED, the only praise given was to Superintendent Tata. The AdvancED team acknowledged Tata's leadership and commitment:

"...but the Board has begun moving in the right direction with the Superintendent being a stabilizing force."

"A common theme during interviews was the significance of the Superintendents’ influence on the direction of the system in providing governance and leadership focused on student learning and system effectiveness. Described as a “calmer” Board, stakeholders attributed this change unequivocally to the Superintendent’s leadership."

So, how is it that the only person in WCPSS leadership who was recognized by AdvancED - a firm that is "dedicated to advancing excellence in education"- was summarily fired? 

The Board was scheduled to submit a progress report to AdvancED by November 1st even prior to the new WCTA complaint. Now, they have the onus of responding to the new complaint as well. 

Considering Supt. Tata was fired without cause with a 5-4 vote, you must wonder if AdvancED will believe the continued lie from the Board majority - that his firing was not political and not personal?

Let's hope not.