Blistering Report coming from "Mac & Jake"

At the school board meeting on May 23, the consultant from the superintendent-search firm of McPherson & Jacobson LLC in Omaha informed the board that a lengthy report is being compiled for the District that is not entirely complimentary of the board. The report summarizes stakeholder feedback that was gathered in surveys.

The consultant tried to soften the punch that the board will feel when they read the report. Watch her in action here.

The board may have received its copy today or will receive it tomorrow. The report, expected to be in the 150-page range, will be published on the District's website on Tuesday (May 30). Well, we'll see about that.

The consultant mentioned that issues of conflict and dysfunction exist on the board. No kidding!

She mentioned other areas for improvement: That the board should govern, not manage. There is a lack of trust among board members. Low morale of staff. 

The poor audio connection with the second consultant, who was apparently in his Omaha office, occurred when a make-do arrangement for audio varied from the steps that Richland 2 had set up. When the audio didn't make it from Omaha on the Zoom call, a cell phone connection was established and the Richland 2 sound technician had to hold the cell phone to a microphone, contributing to the poor audio and an echo. This was not the fault of Richland 2. 

Did Monica Scott really say a representative from "Mac & Jake Law Firm" was there to present information? I replayed her introduction 4-5 times, and that is how it sounded to me. If you hear it differently, please let me know what you think she said.

Permanent Expulsion - only for Murder?

At tonight's School Board Meeting (5/23/2023) Item 8.3 on the agenda was Student Permanent Expulsion. The student, of course, was not identified.

After the Motion and Second. Trustee Monica Scott launched into how anyone can make a mistake. She said, basically, that no student should be permanently expelled - except maybe for Murder. Her defense of the student starts here: At 1:59:30 on   https://livestream.com/richland2/events/10860996/videos/236321838

You know, everyone makes mistakes. And the board shouldn't sit there in Judgment.

Well, that's was a board does. It makes decisions. She has a teaching and an administrative background. Her defense of students' making mistakes is the reason that crime continues on school campuses. It's why teachers get assaulted, and students get beaten up and bullied.

Because students have learned that there aren't any REAL consequences. 

If Monica doesn't want to "sit in judgment" when a student commits a serious crime on campus, then she ought to resign from the board! Tomorrow!

I started to stand and leave several times, while she was speaking. Finally I did. I wish others had stood and walked out while she was speaking. 

I'll take a wild guess that it was the Ridge View High School stabber who was being expelled tonight. But I don't know. It could have been one of the kids who took a pistol to school. 

I'm tired of hearing about illegal aliens who have been deported many times and return to the U.S. and commit heinous crimes. I'm tired of reading about inmates of prisons and jails being released, only to then murder someone. 

Every principal could write a list of kids in his school who have committed serious offenses and still in school. 

It's too bad the District will not identify the student who was permanently expelled last night. 

R2 should ditch BeSmart

A representative of BeSmart got in the last word at last night's too-long Stay Safe meeting. 

BeSmart led off the program with its boiler-plate information and a less-than-forceful presentation. At the end, after Angela Nash ended the meeting, a rep ran to the front to thank Richland Two for "what they do as a partner with BeSmart". She thanked Richland 2 for "getting information out about BeSmart to the media", etc. 

She got it backwards. It is BeSmart that partnered with Richland 2. It's a tiny cog in the big wheel that the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was supposed to be. Richland 2 should drop out of that MOU.

Has BeSmart been effective in helping reduce gun and other violence in Richland 2? Who really knows, since the public is not informed of results.

I'm not a fan of BeSmart, because of its close alignment with Michael Bloomberg's Everytown for Gun Safety and MOMs Demand Action.

Guns are not the problem. Mis-use of guns IS the problem.

What's the difference between 70 years ago and now? 

Then kids had guns and didn't shoot each other.

Now? Kids steal guns and shoot others to resolve disagreements and settle scores. 

That is the problem! What's BeSmart doing about that? Gun locks will not solve that problem.

The DEI Disaster

 

Watch this October 2022 5-minute video from PragerU.

Christian Watson, host of Pensive Politics, tells us exactly what is going on in Richland Two. Learn what DEI used to mean, and what it means today.

Will the new superintendent call a screeching halt to "DEI" in Richland 2? Will he (or she) disband the DEI department?

Post your thoughts in Comments.

R2 Safety Summit - why?

On Monday, May 22, there will be a Richland 2 Safety Summit. 6:00PM at R2i2.

You can see the topics:

- Gun Safety

- Community Safety

- Trafficking Awareness

- Cyber Security

Is a meeting really needed for one simple message?

Don't do stupid stuff!

For "Gun Safety", have there been any classes or instruction in gun "safety"; you know, safe gun handling, use, shooting straight, when to shoot (and when not to), cleaning, storage? Of course not. "People are good. Guns are bad." That's the message from those who are indoctrinating students (and adults).

BeSmart says "gun locks". Did those kids who took guns to schools have gun locks? Of course not.

For "Community Safety", don't go to parks after hours and hang out in large groups, who are likely to become rowdy or attract troublemakers. Don't treat malls like playgrounds. They are shopping centers. Shop; then leave.

For "Trafficking Awareness", stay away from drugs. Don't run away. Don't "slip out" at night. Don't get in cars with people you don't know or don't trust.

For "Cyber Security", don't bully; report all attempts by someone to bully you. 

It all boils down to Don't Do Stupid Stuff.

If the kids don't know that already, a 6:00PM Monday night meeting at R2i2 won't get through to them.

Why is the Board-directed Safety Committee sponsoring this? This is completely outside its scope of authority. The Safety Committee should be receiving suggestions, requests, and recommendations from Administration for improving safety in the schools and then making recommendations to the Board for action. Instead, the Committee, led by three board members, is meddling in school operations.

Clicking off the board meetings

Richland Two Board Policy limits the number of paid school board meetings.

After I heard a rumor this week about one board member who might bail when the board hits that number (after all, who wants to work for free?), I wondered how that Policy reads and also how many meetings the board has already had this year.

I didn't have to look far to find the Policy; it's on the agenda for the May 23 board meeting. Board Policy BID is Item 9.1 on the agenda.

Board members are paid $384 per board meeting, and the chair is paid $480. The limit of paid meetings is 30 in a calendar year (not to confused with the School Year).

By my count there have been 9 Regular board meetings and 11 Special-Called Meetings, including a workshop and a retreat. Approximately 38% of the calendar year has passed. Ten paid board meetings remain between now and December 31.

The board will obviously continue on an accelerated pace, because of the need to hire a superintendent. My guess is they will hit that 30-meeting limit about the time the School Year ends on June 30 and the optimistic hiring date for the new superintendent is reached.

There are 13 more Regular Meetings, including the Summer Retreat, already on the 2023 Schedule of Meetings, and the board no doubt add more Special-Called Meetings.

Previously, board members were paid a stipend of $800/month (and $1,000 for the chair), until the District woke up and realized it was out-of-compliance with state law when it paid a stipend, rather than a per diem. When the old board majority had to fix it, they set the current per diem rates in Board Policy.

Board income, whether stipend of per diem, is reportable to IRS and taxed as ordinary income.

Hiring Guideline assures failure

Be sure to read carefully the advertised position for Richland Two's new superintendent.

It's your typical HR blather. Notice how general it is. 

The Board is three months behind on a serious start of its search. They lost February, March, and April.

And then they blew it by not figuring out that Baron Davis would very likely to be joining the recruiter's business. McPherson & Jacobson LLC obviously knew it was in discussions with Davis and failed to disclose that to the board, "Oops, sorry" is not good enough.

The Search Timeline almost guarantees failure.

Search Timeline:

Closing date for applications: May 31, 2023 (11:30 p.m. central time)

Board of Education selects finalists to interview: June 12, 2023

Interviews with the Board of Education: Week of June 19, 2023

Selection of new Superintendent: June 27, 2023

Start date: July 3, 2023

 

Why will it take from June 1 to June 12 to select finalists? The initial ranking could be done on June 1. Then only one week for interviews? Will all the best candidates be available? And one more week to make an offer? And then expect the new superintendent to start a week later? Will the new guy hold out for more than the $240,000 (plus benefits) that the District paid Davis?

Doesn't this mean that the pool of candidates will be all unemployed superintendents? Or those willing to quit jobs on short noticee? Will Richland 2 end up with the dregs from the coffee pot?

And, just because I'm picky, why does M&J state the closing time for applications as May 31, 2023, 11:59PM (Central Standard Time). Isn't almost all of the U.S. on Central Daylight Time?