|
"These facts are not directly tied, the argument is being made through transitive implications."
Are you a professional propagandist? What on Earth are you talking about?
"The Seattle school board still has the final say in what happens, even over the Alliance for Education;"
Oh, really? Care to back that up with FACTS?
"And no one is proposing private/religious school vouchers."
They don't have to; Seattle's schools have already been effectively privatized while the city's foolish liberals campaign against school choice. But we may get school choice anyway; that's quite likely what high-stakes tests are all about - they're designed to make students fail, and failure gives the government an excuse to take over our schools.
"Can you tell me why you think that Seattle schools are corrupt, outside of corporate donations, and what is the result?"
Why do I think Seattle's schools are corrupt? That's like asking why I think George W. Bush is corrupt!
The most potent icon of Seattle Schools corruption is the late Supt. John Stanford. Another example is Supt. Joseph Olchefske, who was up to his eyeballs in corruption even before the district lost millions of dollars, after which he retired to his ranch near Cle Elum - still drawing a salary.
Or how about Ricardo Cruz, who fled Seattle City Light because of a scandal and was given a job as director of personnel for Seattle Schools, where he was promptly caught up in more scandals, until he became a King County Deputy Prosecutor, after which he made the papers as he was caught up in yet another scandal in another county?
Do you know anything about such historic figures as Philip Swain and Judge Gary Little? Do you know about their relations with such characters as Barbara Schaad Lamphere (currently on the Seattle School Board) and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer's favorite attorey, Camden Hall?
Have you ever heard the term "Black Mafia"? If not, are you familiar with Alice "Hurricane" Houston, who lost several million dollars, drove some of Seattle's best principals away and contributed to a teachers strike - then filed a discrimination lawsuit when she didn't get a pay raise?
Hey, did you know that students who bring plastic guns to school can get expelled, but pulling a REAL gun on people on a school campus merely gets you a slap on the wrist if your name is James Kelly, and you work for the Seattle Chamber of Commerce?
And how about Clint Webb, who got high on cocaine and kidnapped and murdered his landlord BEFORE he got hired by Seattle Schools, after which he collected sick leave pay while in jail on other charges, until he was finally busted for having sex with a student?
If you worked for the district, you would know that the Seattle Education Association is as worthless as tits on a boar. If you did a little research, as I have, you'd know it's frighteningly corrupt. Speaking of which, why did the SEA help the Seattle Chamber of Commerce ram a disgusting new contract down teachers' throats, but they won't lift a finger to overhaul the principals' contract - which is frequently cited as an excuse for not holding even the most derelict principals accountable?
How about school board member Michael Preston, who lost his gambling license and didn't even live in Seattle, or Ellen Roe, who blew the whistle on a derelict principal who was a borderline pedophile - AFTER he was nailed for having sex with students?
I could go on and on and on, but if you don't get it by now, you never will. You asked what the results are.
Well, the teachers shortage and revolving door policy can be seen as an example of corporate downsizing nationwide. Some 40 teachers fled Rainier Beach High School alone. I worked at Dearborn Park Elementary School more than five years ago when it was taken over by a derelict principal who is STILL spawning refugees. A greater percentage of Seattle parents send their children to private shools than any other major U.S. city but Honolulu.
Millions of levy dollars are regularly illegally diverted. Visit the Seattle Weekly and do a search for "The Olchefske Files." Many principals and teachers have been nailed for embezzling school funds, though that doesn't mean they're disciplined; indeed, they can be hired back as consultants.
Did I mention privatization? If not, did you know that school bus drivers were privatized a year or two ago? Did you know that ALL the kitchens in Seattle's public schools are being privatized? Have you seen the CRAP these privatized services feed kids? Do you know anything about Don Nielsen, former Seattle Schools assistant superintendent Arlene Ackerman and their joint for-profit venture, TeachFirst? How about Flexcar?
Did you know that Dick Lilly - possibly the worst education reporter in the Pacific Northwest - went from the Seattle Times to spokesman for Mayor Paul Schell (do you need me to list some FACTS proving he's corrupt, too?) then on to the Seattle School Board?
Don't believe everything you read about education in the Seattle Times, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Seattle Weekly, The Stranger or community newspapers. And since there aren't many other sources of information, you're going to have to start paying closer attention to school issues and using a little logic.
|