I'm Speechless (Me?)

Lynne Varner of the Times wrote what is probably one of the least clear editorial columns I have ever read I just don't know what to make of it so I leave it to you to decipher it.  (She does use her fav phrase "Sturm und Drang" which I never thought of as all-purpose but okay.) Hint: I think it's about ethics.

Here's one of the weirder lines:
Wow, is city government so clean Barnett has time to police the educational equivalent of Libya?

I'm a pretty big critic of the district but I do not believe it is the educational equivalent of Libya.

Comments

Zulu said…
Strum und Drang?!?

http://www.sturmunddrang.fi/

That is one convoluted editorial. And why is she talking about a Finish "metal" band?

I really enjoyed Varner's last platitude...it's not often I get to hear that sunshine is the best disinfectant. If only there were some bloggers out there that could bust SPS wide open. Dang! To dream.....
3/22/11, 11:05 PM
Northender said…
Well, she does seem to imbue the gentleman from the city's Ethics Commission with near superhero capabilities - does she think he can drill the tunnel and solve that whole nuclear issue in Japan too? :)

and the Libya reference is beyond extreme - and perhaps even a bit culturally insenstive - but reality does not appear to be her strong suit - aiyiyi!
3/22/11, 11:29 PM
Unknown said…
Maybe she had to write her own piece, rather than getting a pdf by email from Bill Gates.

MY favorite Lynne Varner quote, in describing the former Superintendent: Lynne referred to her "laser-like focus."

Sweet.
3/23/11, 6:36 AM
Dorothy Neville said…
I thought it was pretty clear and some pretty strong words. Sure, there's some hyperbole we could complain about, but she addresses a lot of the issues. Croneyism, favoritism, indifference, illegal activity, First AME, providing incomplete or erroneous information to the board and public.

Maybe all this is just to protect the F&E levy, and maybe some board members will be active as they run for re-election, but a lot can get uncovered in 8 months. Seeds of change can grow. Looks like we have a lot of gardeners to help, including Seattle Times, even if some enthusiasm might wane after November.
3/23/11, 7:55 AM
hschinske said…
Yeah, I don't get how it's so unclear, either. The Libya comparison was the only really off-the-wall bit to me. (Zulu: see http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sturm%20und%20drang)

By the way, Durmstrang in the Harry Potter books is a joke about Sturm und Drang.

Helen Schinske
3/23/11, 8:14 AM
mirmac1 said…
Maybe she got sent to woodshed for that earlier, crap piece she "wrote".

Notice how she is posting to the comments in a dialogue?! The almighty Times actually interacting with the rabble?
3/23/11, 8:27 AM
Melissa Westbrook said…
Speaking of ethics, I note that in 2006, our Facilities head, Bill Martin, had to pay a $2500 ethics fine. He was working for the City at the time in transportation.

He had signed a contract with a company in 2004 and neglected to report to his boss during negotiations that his roommate (at the time) who was also a friend worked for the company receiving the contract. He was supposed to recuse himself from City business involving friends and relatives.
3/23/11, 9:17 AM
wsnorth said…
RE: Libya, maybe she missed that we got rid of our evil dictator peacefully. :-]
3/23/11, 11:53 AM
Wanano said…
Here is a link to times article on Bill Martin:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com
/html/localnews/
2002838354_ethics02m.html
3/23/11, 2:50 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tuesday Open Thread

The speaker list is up for the Board meeting tomorrow; not as packed as I thought with just four people on the waitlist. The majority of the speakers are speaking on high school boundaries (with several wanting to talk about Ballard High). There are only three of us speaking about the Green Dot resolution asking the City to not grant the zoning departures that Green Dot has requested.  It's me, long-time watchdog, Chris Jackins, and the head of the Washington State Charter Schools Association, Patrick D'Amelio.  (I knew Mr. D'Amelio when he headed the Alliance for Education and Big Brothers and Big Sisters; he's a stand-up guy.)
Read more

Breaking It Down: Where the District Might Close Schools

Update 2: an absolutely fabulous interactive map made by parent Beth Day (@thebethocracy on Twitter - she covers Board meetings and is fun to read).   end of update    Update 1: Mea culpa, I did indeed get Decatur and Thornton Creek mixed up. Thanks to all for the correction. end of update   I suspect some who read this post will be irate. Why do this? Because the district seems very hellbent on this effort with no oversight skid marks from the Board.    To clearly state - I do not believe that closing 20 schools is a good idea. I think they hit on 20 because they thought it might bring in the most savings. But the jury is still out on the savings because the district has not shown its work nor its data. I suspect closing schools and THEN leasing/renting them is the big plan but that means the district really has to keep the buildings up.   But this district, with its happy talk about "well-resourced schools" is NOT acknowledging the pain and yes, gr...
Read more

Education News Roundup

From the ever-amusing Washington Policy Center : Vouchers are Pell Grants for students under 18.  Vouchers are no different than Pell Grants or GI benefits, except the money goes to the families of students younger than age 18.  Except they are. Pell Grants were created to help needy students and that's not really the goal of the voucher program.  The Pell grant website does have a couple of great studies on why low-income students drop out before finishing their higher ed and what makes a difference.
Read more