Stupid is as stupid does, but then practice makes perfect: Ann Murray & Broward County School Board pretend they care what public thinks -they don't!

Did you happen to see this post by the Sun-Sentinel's Cara Fitzpatrick yesterday titled, School board seeks public input on new superintendent, on their Schools blog?

Rather than watch the Broward School Board continue to engage in this costly charade, why don't we simply hire the highest-ranking person available in the consistently high-performing Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools that is willing to come down here, and then move on?

Why all this pretense when not more than 2-3 people on the Broward School Board genuinely cares what parents and taxpayers think?

(Oh, that's right, I suggested that very thing two months ago when I publicly wondered why the Broward School Board was SO incompetent that they couldn't devise a plan that insured they had someone in place BEFORE the new school year starts.

http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2011/04/is-broward-schools-supt-james-notters.html)

For proof of the pretense, see some of Bob Noman's recent blog posts and stories about Broward Schools for Channel 10/WPLG-TV here,

http://www.local10.com/bobnorman/index.html

That includes video of the following embarrassing School Board stories:

Plan To Build $5 Million Maintenance Building Under Fire

http://www.local10.com/video/28177995/index.html and Bob Noman: $25 Million Schools Building Sits Empty

http://www.local10.com/video/28165728/index.html

The best evidence of the School Board's neglect and incompetency with regard to oversight is the reality all around us, including here in Hallandale Beach.

By the way, the link in the Fitzpatrick post below shows that all 4 forums are in Plantation and Fort Lauderdale.

Taxpayers and parents of Hollywood, Hallandale Beach, West Park, Pembroke Park, Miramar and Dania: no soup for you!

I verified it here: http://www.browardschools.com/superintendent/search.htm

That sounds so familar...

Oh, that's right, the so-called Broward Schools Integrity Committee meetings of last year with the Butterfield Trio NEVER had a public meeting south of Fort Lauderdale, either, which I also mentioned at the time.

See http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/search/label/Bob%20Butterworth

And did you already hear the news that despite the meeting being YEARS in the making, that is to say, YEARS OVERDUE, both Ann Murray and Jennifer Gottlieb will... yes, be no-shows for the Community Forum on Hallandale High School Monday night at the HB Cultural Center?

I was told this a few weeks ago and have heard nothing about them changing their schedules so they could attend.

Yes, once again, none of the people elected to REPRESENT Hallandale Beach on the Broward School Board will be in attendance, just as happened SO MANY times over the recent years with Carole L. Andrews, Eleanor Sobel and Ann Murray.

The first, Andrews, selfishly stayed in office far too long and abused her SE Broward constituents' trust after getting very sick by continually not showing-up for official meetings and workshops but refusing to resign so someone else could do the job right, even running for re-election even though she knew she was dying of cancer; the second, Sobel, flat-out lied to Broward voters while running for the School Board position and NEVER had any intention of serving out the entire four-year term, always keeping her eyes on the State Senate position she now holds; the third, Murray, is an incompetent, small-minded bigot who ran as as reformer and has rewarded voters by being among the single worst offenders on a very corrupt and sorry lot that the statewide Grand Jury said ought to be ABOLISHED.

Their personal, professional and political needs ALWAYS took precedence over the legitimate needs of this community's taxpayers and parents.

Nothing quite says I could care less like actually NOT showing up!

And whatever happened to that public meeting Ann Murray promised SE Broward parents MONTHS AGO when they showed up en masse at the Hepburn Center in HB one Monday night when Murray was there -her first time ever in HB for something non-political?-fully expecting her to listen and to be able to competently answer their questions, all of which was caught on tape by Channel 4 News and reporter Natalia Zea?

CBS-4 video of February 28, 2011 - Broward Committee Demands Action For Dilapidated School

http://miami.cbslocal.com/2011/02/28/committee-demands-action-for-dilapidated-school/

As of today -NOTHING!

At least Murray and Gottlieb are consistent in their continuing indifference to us!

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South Florida Sun-Sentinel

South Florida Schools blog

School board seeks public input on new superintendent

By Cara Fitzpatrick

June 9, 2011 11:19 AM

The Broward County School Board is asking parents, employees and community members to describe the qualities they'd like to see in a new superintendent.

Read the rest of the post at:

http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/educationblog/2011/06/school_board_seeks_public_inpu.html

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Monday's forum on Hallandale High School at the HB Cultural Center:

flyer fr 6 13 11 community forum.pdf 142K View Download

6_13_community_forum_agenda_ppt.PDF 762K View Download

minutes_fr_5_19_11_tf_mtng.doc 44K View Download

Broward School Board's Diversity Committee Site Visitation Report at Hallandale High School and the abominable conditions they found

Last week when I knew that I'd be posting here the two public notices about the public meeting on Tuesday night in Hollywood and Thursday morning at Broward Schools HQ, I already had a copy of the Broward School Board's Diversity Committee Site Visitation Report at Hallandale High School and the abominable conditions they found.

I had a copy because I have a friend on the committee and had asked her to send me a copy of the final report once it had already been publicly distributed to the Broward School Board and the acting-Principal at Hallandale High, Anthony Dorsett, and other interested parties.

I decided not to post the information then, or even with the story on Friday night regarding the statewide Grand Jury, because I wanted to make sure that everyone would see this eye-opening report on its own demerits and just let the facts sink in a bit.

Here is the cover letter that was sent to them from my friend Catherine, who besides serving as Co-Chair of the Broward Schools Diversity Committee that checked-out the school, is also on the Hallandale Education Advisory Committee, and an appointee to the county's Commission on Women's Status.

The Site Visitation SubCommittee of the Diversity Committee has finalized the attached summary report on Hallandale HS

Attached is a courtesy copy, for your information and review.

Our SV SubComm. was very disappointed that after 10 years since the CCC lawsuit settlement, the Hallandale HS facility is still one of the worst that we've seen in all of our site visits in the past two years. Ms. Ernestine Price, one of the original plaintiffs, was visibly upset and she said she could not sleep that night and called a school board member at 4:00 am.

In our last (2/3/11) Diversity Committee meeting, the lawyers from the CCC lawsuit updated our Diversity Committee members. They, visited Hallandale HS about three weeks ago and took 300 pictures of bad facility conditions, themselves. Discussion about the lack of progress in the innercity schools took place, and Hallandale HS was at the top of the list.

We are all aware of the moratoriums on projects due to budget constraints. However, issues like the lack of a working lab for AP science, which would prevent those students from competing and succeeding in their AP exams, is clearly not acceptable.

By copy of this email, I'm requesting Mayor Cooper, City Manager Antonio, and the commissioners to see if they can provide additional support to these issues, perhaps thru the CRA budget? Also, I am requesting the community leaders of Hallandale and my Hallandale EAC members to see if there's anything we can do to assist with these issues, with the proviso that we're concurrently researching what can and can't be done under the Broward Schools' rules/policies.

Because Hallandale HS has made great progress academically within the past two years, it is critical that the students and hard-working staff are not required to work in such bad conditions. There is a YouTube video by Boyd Anderson students talking about how their new cafeteria made them feel like a whole new person, filled each student with pride...a person deserving, which motivated him/her to do better. Facilities makes a direct impact on a student's self-esteem. We all need to do better for our most challenged children.

Catherine Kim Owens

My friend and fellow Hallandale Beach civic activist Michael Butler of Change Hallandale Beach already has posted the entire report and pertinent photos on his site, along with some comments of his own, so I have that link here for you to read along with the report:
HallandaleHighSchoolSiteVisitReport

Change Hallandale Beach website is at: http://www.changehallandale.com/

Hallandale High School info: http://www.browardschools.com/schoolsplash1/schoolsplash.asp?infoid=0403

HHS website: http://www.broward.k12.fl.us/hallandalehigh/