tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post3378786059763170928..comments2024-03-18T16:51:10.406-07:00Comments on Seattle Schools Community Forum: State Opens Investigation into MLK Building SaleMelissa Westbrookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17179994245880629080noreply@blogger.comBlogger45125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-50775452376787009012011-06-08T15:27:59.976-07:002011-06-08T15:27:59.976-07:00ST, when are you going to write about the incestuo...ST, when are you going to write about the incestuous relationship between the UW College of Education and Teach for America? How the UW and its program (only for TFA, mind you) will likely get the pass from PESB despite its inferiority to existing programs at area universities. How UW grad students are getting the shaft. How SPS will be on the hook for $$$ for mentor teachers and subsitutes (unless Gates coughs up the dough).<br /><br />Know yerself out.StopTFAhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08605108615707039386noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-70652140602458965802011-06-08T08:34:48.324-07:002011-06-08T08:34:48.324-07:00Yes, I am happy they finally covered it. No, I am ...<i>Yes, I am happy they finally covered it. No, I am not impressed by the timing, or by the fact that it took an SAO audit to get it covered</i>.<br />Precisely.<br />& re Ron English? He has practiced CYA for years, even before he came to SSD ( & I expect even before he was at Wppss).Jet City momhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14804841958585043967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-26688185668634915802011-06-07T12:20:58.264-07:002011-06-07T12:20:58.264-07:00Tina: It is always nice to hear the other side --...Tina: It is always nice to hear the other side -- and get pushback, but your comment is not entirely fair. First -- the ST has far, far more resources than Melissa has. Second, several folks, not just Melissa, commented on how irregular it all seemed at the time. The ST is not stupid. A school is fast tracked for sale (no other building has ever been sold in this time framework, and many are not sold at all, but leased long-term -- KSB's point). It is sold to the lowest bidder, who buys it using NOT their own funds, but taxpayer dollars donated by the State. The facilities guy is a member of the church who gets it at a steal -- as are the Superintendent (evidently) and her husband. The complaints by the the other community group (CCC) fall on deaf ears. The winning bidder was given access to the other community group's bid, so they could "gussy their bid" up to match it. <br /><br />And NONE of this turned at HAIR at the ST -- UNTIL the SAO decided to audit the deal for irregularities. And you are concerned that we are not all bowing and scraping gratefully at the ST's feet for exposing this? It would NEVER have been looked at, but for the audit. <br /><br />Yes, I am happy they finally covered it. No, I am not impressed by the timing, or by the fact that it took an SAO audit to get it covered.<br /><br />I don't think they have covered it well at all -- MGJ's and her spouse's involvement with the church; the fact that in 2008 (after the school closed, but before the bidding process commenced) Stephens may have authored the changes to the policy that used to require sales to the highest bidder, which had the effect of permitting his church to come in, submit a weak, cheap, flabby, unsubstantiated bid that cost the District millions, has never benefited a single child (since the church has reneged on every program promise), and has benefited NO ONE except the church itself.Janhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09923777229601243321noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-67247428247101413572011-06-07T08:24:07.041-07:002011-06-07T08:24:07.041-07:00sue P. Yes, check the board meeting minutes 10/20...sue P. Yes, check the board <a href="http://www.seattleschools.org/area/board/10-11agendas/110310agenda/102010minutes.pdf" rel="nofollow">meeting minutes 10/20/10</a>Chris S.https://www.blogger.com/profile/17016898261120819596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-22590583087350596722011-06-07T08:21:25.643-07:002011-06-07T08:21:25.643-07:00"The constant Times-bashing on this site, muc..."The constant Times-bashing on this site, much of it from one particularly arrogant former school-board candidate, is tiresome, unfair and unproductive."<br /><br />I know Linda Shaw and Lynne Varner and like and respect them. I sometimes pass info onto to them in hopes that something might get written. That I sometimes find their work late or lacking, well, it's mostly true.<br /><br />I have often stated that other people, like Chris Jackins, the quiet but firm district watchdog who was here long before me, raised issues on this one. <br /><br />The Times is nearly always late to the party. There are people who raise the red flags to both the Times and the Board and nothing happens until they decide it's important. Sorry but it's true.Melissa Westbrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12588239576000641336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-14030032863233194772011-06-07T00:09:46.055-07:002011-06-07T00:09:46.055-07:00Interesting that no mention has been made that MGJ...Interesting that no mention has been made that MGJ was a member of the AME Church, and that her husband was associated with it in his ministry training.observernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-77383300826167038612011-06-06T22:20:20.909-07:002011-06-06T22:20:20.909-07:00To those of you deriding the Times and lauding thi...To those of you deriding the Times and lauding this blog for "breaking" this story, get real. Melissa wrote in March, "I don't have time to work on this one but there's something there." The Times had the resources, took the time, and here it is. The constant Times-bashing on this site, much of it from one particularly arrogant former school-board candidate, is tiresome, unfair and unproductive.<br /><br />TinaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-14974681025470791522011-06-06T19:48:20.814-07:002011-06-06T19:48:20.814-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.WenDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07754473793580185814noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-65981162484642425932011-06-06T19:12:57.769-07:002011-06-06T19:12:57.769-07:00Kay Smith-Blum did not want to sell the property- ...Kay Smith-Blum did not want to sell the property- capacity concerns.<br /><br />Harium wanted the sale to go to CCC.<br /><br />All other board members voted "yes" to First AME,Kathynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-76645745805083447802011-06-06T18:25:45.797-07:002011-06-06T18:25:45.797-07:00Smith Blum voted No because she thought that no bu...Smith Blum voted No because she thought that no building should be sold until the capacity issues with the NSAP were solved.kelliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01322661098626555834noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-81295613840148482852011-06-06T18:02:04.220-07:002011-06-06T18:02:04.220-07:00Ken, according to comments on the Seattle Times st...Ken, according to comments on the Seattle Times story, the vote was 5-2 in favor, with Smith-Blum and Martin-Morris voting no. Can anyone here verify?suep.https://www.blogger.com/profile/17281578510716234624noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-64039317304492462232011-06-06T18:01:02.831-07:002011-06-06T18:01:02.831-07:00Ken: from the Seattle Times comments (I haven'...Ken: from the Seattle Times comments (I haven't gone back to the Board minutes myself to verify), Kay Smith Blum and Harium Martin Morris both voted against it. The comments indicate that Harium voted against it because he favored the CCCC bid (the other community center). No one has noted why Kay's vote was 'no,' and I don't know if the minutes reflect her thinking or not.Janhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09923777229601243321noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-75737261306612283352011-06-06T17:15:00.652-07:002011-06-06T17:15:00.652-07:00When the Board voted to approve the sale/lease of ...When the Board voted to approve the sale/lease of MLK put forth by MGJ et al was there any "Nays?"<br /><br />ken berryAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-47723236681553946772011-06-06T16:52:05.265-07:002011-06-06T16:52:05.265-07:00I am sorry, but does it make sense to anyone that ...I am sorry, but does it make sense to anyone that Ron English just got PROMOTED? As far as I can tell, on his watch the district has lost $10 million dollars. I get he blamed his ex-boss for the last scandal, but this one is all him. And every account of him that I have ever heard is that he is so obstructionist and rude that other goverenment bodies hate to deal with him and that people leave facilities and legal to avoid his yelling fits. Why on earth does he get to keep his cuchy 100K plus a year job, let alone get more power, is beyond me.SPSCombatVetnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-3189683852525711802011-06-06T16:06:58.631-07:002011-06-06T16:06:58.631-07:00Melissa -- there was a time (not long ago) when I ...Melissa -- there was a time (not long ago) when I worried about things like the timing of District scandals and fiascos vis a vis levies. But I have to say -- I am giving up worrying about it. Not because the money is not important (maybe even critical) but because the District and the Board are simply hopeless. It's like worrying about whether Toad will crash his latest car -- when you know he is a total speed demon and a horrible driver. He WILL crash the car. Worrying is senseless. <br /><br />I don't know what will happen with the Families and Education Levy (I plan to vote for it) but I have no hope left that the District won't be involved in any number of sordid mismanagement swamps between now and then. They will. They refuse to manage. <br /><br />My only small consolation is that this particular steaming pile is, in fact, left over from MGJ. While I have no reason to think that any of the slimies who pulled it off (other than Mr. Stephens, MGJ and Don Kennedy) are gone, and that the ones remaining wouldn't hesitate to do it again -- it still helps a little that this is part of the OLD damage (as opposed to NEW damage that may be being created under Dr. Enfield).Janhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09923777229601243321noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-86547262887067860672011-06-06T15:26:10.017-07:002011-06-06T15:26:10.017-07:00Great. Now many of the comments at the Times say,...Great. Now many of the comments at the Times say, "I'll never vote for a school levy again." Or "remember this in the fall when the next levy comes." The district is really making the City have to work for this money.Melissa Westbrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12588239576000641336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-85800594678110984192011-06-06T15:13:20.178-07:002011-06-06T15:13:20.178-07:00Chris S. was right about the deletion of the comme...Chris S. was right about the deletion of the comment. Read the rules, folks.<br /><br />For me, there are two sources of humor in the anonymous post<br /><br />First, the suggestion that any kind of scamming by the District is tolerated here - "left wing 'race and social justice' scamming" or any other type. It really amuses me that anyone thinks this blog is filled with District apologists.<br /><br />Second, the fourth-grade timidity over writing the word "fart". As if we would censor it for being too vulgar for our delicate audience.<br /><br />Actually, there's a third source - concern over the comment getting deleted for the word "fart" but no concern about the comment getting deleted for breaking our one and only rule.Charlie Mashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17173903762962067277noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-23725443522490167112011-06-06T14:33:14.016-07:002011-06-06T14:33:14.016-07:00Anonymous said (and it's going to be deleted):...Anonymous said (and it's going to be deleted):<br />"Wow, SPS engages in typical left wing, 'race and social justice' scamming and all the liberals here think it was Gates/TFA/Arnie Duncan who f@rted."<br /><br />OK, I'll bite. My Clif notes say:<br />"White people making money to the detriment of poor & minority children. People of color getting assets to the detriment poor and minority children."<br /><br />Sounds like equality for grownups to me.Chris S.https://www.blogger.com/profile/17016898261120819596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-77432757924419445432011-06-06T14:24:31.515-07:002011-06-06T14:24:31.515-07:00The Secretary of State's retention schedules S...The Secretary of State's retention schedules SHALL be followed.mirmac1https://www.blogger.com/profile/10183460709639638172noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-7248760605121454922011-06-06T13:40:09.398-07:002011-06-06T13:40:09.398-07:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-50757291321061257182011-06-06T13:34:37.583-07:002011-06-06T13:34:37.583-07:00Here is an explanation of the SPS previous email r...Here is an explanation of the SPS previous email record retention procedures. If I remember correctly, that has been fixed moving forward to retaining emails that should be by law retained. I don't know remember where I read that.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/57231961/SAOandSPSdiscussEmailRetention" rel="nofollow">From FY2008 audit working papers</a>Dorothy Nevillehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17108759281089768738noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-42930263078814079472011-06-06T13:03:59.081-07:002011-06-06T13:03:59.081-07:00@Chris S - also - apparently the change in policy ...@Chris S - also - apparently the change in policy was introduced by MGJ on March 12 2008 (with Mr. Stephens as staff person) and approved by the board on March 28th - pretty quick turnaround for a policy that could seriously impact financial gains from surplus property sales. Interesting....<br /><br />--a reader --Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-78469566376943637362011-06-06T12:57:46.874-07:002011-06-06T12:57:46.874-07:00The Times story quickly acquired over 200 comments...The Times story quickly acquired over 200 comments and a lot of them are about the Board's failure (if not their role) in this scandal.<br /><br />Let's keep hammering the Board angle. The review and vote by the Board was the one and only daylighting of the transaction. The Board review of the deal was when informed and critical eyes were supposed to review it from the community's perspective. They didn't do their job.Charlie Mashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17173903762962067277noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-60905685530469977822011-06-06T12:55:27.707-07:002011-06-06T12:55:27.707-07:00@Chris S - the Board Procedure in question was app...@Chris S - the Board Procedure in question was apparently adopted as modified in March of 2008 - see:<br /><br />http://www.seattleschools.org/area/policies/h/H02.01.pdf<br /><br />a readerAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-48354218796092815692011-06-06T11:51:57.495-07:002011-06-06T11:51:57.495-07:00Until people wake up to the fact that there is no ...Until people wake up to the fact that there is no longer a curtain to hide their actions behind, they will continue to do stupid things, all the while thinking that the only people who will find out and/or care are the people on the Save Seattle Schools Community Blog, and a few other sources from which they are accustomed to getting flack and can simply ignore it. <br /><br />You can't expect change until some individual or group of individuals get caught in an act for which they can be held criminally liable. If those people are prosecuted and found guilty, you can count on the school system "straightening up" by imposing new rules and regulations that make almost everything more difficult and time consuming to accomplish. Then, two or three years later, when the heat has died down, the hanky panky will begin again. I sure wish I could predict that a new board would make difference, but it won't.<br /><br />The Favorite OneAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com