As is always the case, no matter where you go, the smart ambitious kids who are curious, pay close attention and have parents who make a minimum of effort, will probably do okay, despite the self-evident middling mediocrity of the school system they find themselves in, but what about the mediocre-to-average kids?
The very kids whose consistently poor performances help make the high-achievers performance so very much easier than it might've been 20-30 years ago, regardless of how many kids may actually be in an AP class.
You know, like when I was in high school in North Miami Beach in the late '70's, and just about everyone in my four AP classes was getting the hell out of Florida for college as soon as possible: Princeton, UVA, Colorado, Northwestern, Michigan, Georgia Tech... and Indiana.
The basic stupidity and general sense of clueless-ness of kids I run into all around southern Broward County, despite all the advantages of technology they've been given, is perfectly shocking -and scary as hell.
Especially compared to the high standards I'm used to in Northern Virginia, where even the dumb kids there would be considered prized scholars here.
I've written many negative things about Jennifer Gottlieb in this space before, all of which were true, though she has her team of loyal apologists who hit the popular blogs after an article has appeared, trying their best to clean-up her mess and point fingers in other directions.
Trust me, I'm far from the only person in Broward who has noticed this phenomena.
Frankly, I've often shook my head over why Gottlieb continues to get what can only be described as fawning media attention, esp. on TV, despite what everyone with decent eyesight can clearly see for themselves: Her house is on fire but she and her pals want to select which firefighters get to put the fire out!
And we're paying for it in more ways than one.
To repeat a perennial comment here, one whispered in what passes for polite society hereabouts, to what extent is this true because the education beat here is one completely dominated by female reporters?
Are female reporters reluctant to draw blood of female office holders?
I personally think the accumulated evidence suggests that is, in fact, the case, but that's a topic for another time...
I should mention that despite the largely positive media coverage Gottlieb receives, she is not that popular with many well-informed and concerned citizens in Broward County who are closely following what's going on, and that's particularly true among the crowd in Hollywood and Hallandale Beach who have contributed to her campaign and have voted for her in the past, but who have now reached their saturation point with the flimsy excuses and finger-pointing.
Today, after some related comments, I only need to get out of the way and let Buddy Nevins and Bob Norman paint the picture of a woman proving the Peter Principle right before us.
Sticking with the subject of the Gottlieb's for a minute, over the past week, I've come to wonder if others see the same similarities in legitimate questions about Elena Kagan's lack of a judicial background that I do, most of which could also be accurately applied to former State Rep. and Hollywood commissioner Ken Gottlieb, Jennifer's husband, who is running for Broward County judge.
Most of the well-informed people I know in Broward would describe him as a very smart, enthusiastic and zealous advocate for issues he championed, which are among the reasons that they gave me for why they had voted for him for REPRESENTATIVE and then State Senate in 2008.
(I voted for Tim Ryan in the 2008 State Senate primary, someone I'd like to see as Broward States Attorney or the Broward Ethics IG.)
But where is the evidence that Gottlieb can, suddenly, become impartial and completely import a judicial temperament, completely ignoring his own personal feelings and many years of publicly taking sides on important public policy issues?
Personally, I haven't seen it.
That doesn't make him a bad guy, of course, just someone perhaps not suited to be a judge, and who'd better help the community in another capacity altogether.
And just a reminder, Jennifer Gottlieb is an At-Large member of the Broward School Board, which means that you can vote for or against her regardless of where you live in Broward County.
Personally, I'm NOT in favor of dual-elected couples.
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Some helpful information from http://www.browardsoe.org/
| School Board, Dist. 1 | Ann Murray | Filed |
| School Board, Dist. 1 | Gary Plancher | Filed |
| School Board, Dist. 2 | Patricia Good | Filed |
| School Board, Dist. 2 | Kevin Tynan | Filed |
| School Board, Dist. 4 | Shelly Solomon Heller | Withdrew |
| School Board, Dist. 4 | Jaemi Levine | Filed |
| School Board, Dist. 4 | Penny McArthur Madden | Filed |
| School Board, Dist. 4 | Donald Samuels | Filed |
| School Board, Dist. 4 | David "Dave" Thomas | Filed |
| School Board, Dist. 4 | Stewart "Stew" Jackson Webster | Filed |
| School Board, Dist. 6 | Phyllis C. Hope | Filed |
| School Board, Dist. 6 | Laurie Rich Levinson | Filed |
| School Board, Dist. 7 | Robert D. Parks | Filed |
| School Board, Dist. 7 | Nora Rupert | Filed |
| School Board, Dist. 8 | Jennifer Leonard Gottlieb | Filed |
County Court Judge, Grp. 20 | Kenneth "Ken" Gottlieb | Qualified |
| County Court Judge, Grp. 20 | Mark W. Rickard | Withdrew |
| County Court Judge, Grp. 20 | Steven A. Schaet | Qualified |
Two stories below
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Broward Beat
Broke School System Never Considered Selling Naming Right; Instead They Name Track For Parks
By Buddy Nevins
May 18, 2010
The School Board today voted to name a track at Coconut Creek High for member Bob Parks after admitting that nobody even bothered to consider selling the naming rights.
“Was the school going to use this as a revenue producing facility?” asked member Stephanie Kraft. “Right now with our financial situation being what it is, I’m reluctant to give up (any) money.”
“We never considered it,” said David Jones, the Coconut Creek principal. “…We hadn’t thought about the money.”
Read the rest of the post at:http://www.browardbeat.com/coconut-creek-well-protest-parks-name-on-track/
BrowardPalmBeach NewTimes
Dysfunction Junction: The Broward School Board Story
By Bob Norman
Wednesday, May. 19 2010 @ 9:29AM
The Broward School Board sold our children's future out to their lobbyist and construction-company friends, overspent hundreds of millions of dollars, and dug the district $2 billion in debt.
The board remains under federal investigation. One former member, Beverly Gallagher, is heading to prison after taking bribes from undercover FBI agents posing as construction lobbyists. The financial debacle they've created is now affecting employees, who are being laid off, and children, who are losing electives like art, music, and PE.
So are the board members on their knees begging for forgiveness? No, they're naming stadiums after themselves.
Read the rest of the post at:
http://blogs.browardpalmbeach.com/pulp/2010/05/broward_county_school_board_dysfunction.php
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