Seattle Weekly Story on First AME Sale
The Weekly has a story about Fred Stephens and First AME. It's pretty much stuff I knew (and I suspect most of you know) but there are a few notable items:
- First AME Church's secretary says Fred Stephens is still a member
- Michael DeBell defended the Board's choice and said Stephens didn't play a role but that it was "entirely managed by Ron English." He also said that what the Board unanimously voted for was similar to what happened to University School, Phinney Ridge and West Seattle.
I like Michael but that's just plain disingenious. They are not similar efforts except that they all, in some way community based. First AME is a church and the other groups running those community centers are not.
I don't have time to work on this one but there's something there. I told the Board I thought based on Fred Stephens and the current crisis, they should revisit the First AME decision.
Comments
this week with assuredness?
Seems a bit arrogant since he says
he didn't know anything relevant
about what has hit the fan.
His best bet might be to keep mum while he takes a long hard look at himself and his vote on MGJ's contract extension.
Worried Mad Valley parent
I want to know who in SPS wrote the recommendation report and presented First AME to the Board. That was when the decision was actually made, and I would bet good money that Ron English had a hand in that recommendation.
Seen in that kind of light, it's hard to see the First AME decision as an open and honest one, particularly since it wasn't top bidder. The Citizens for a Community Center group wasn't the only group mis-represented - the Hamlin Robinson school, which serves students with dyslexia, was characterized as a "private school," which, yes, it is, but in a significantly different way than the Bush School.
That said, I don't think the board will revisit the decision.
Personally, I would have liked them to maximize the dollars. But if they weren't going to do that, I would have preferred the community plan to the AME one. Was there fraud? Hopefully not. We probably won't know unless someone like the Seattle Weekly or the Seattle Times takes it on.
The other community group's cirriculum was developed, while AME's program was anemic.
Jewish community members complained, selling the property to a church wouldn't be comfortable for them.
The sale just didn't make sense. I couldn't understand why Ron English was making it sound like a good deal.
At the time, Debell remembered ideas related to selling MLK had gone on for years. For Debell, it was time to make a decision.
It certainly is not limited to one department. It is building wide. Good thing some managers have resigned (CC)since they always try to intimidate and bully their employees.
Hopefully someone will mention that at the meeting tomorrow night.
I wonder if he was involved in surplusing the property as well.
pg.12,22,28
Sharon Tomiko-Santos appears pg.27 and Ron English statement on state funding requirements on p.36. See also pg.41
http://www.seattle.gov/neighborhoods/mi/suac/mlk/mlk_final_report.pdf
Public School Parent