The plot sickens; 250 "reading coaches" tossed overboard
 |
| OSD "Captain" Smith |
The
"sea of troubles" continues to boil in and around the
Ogden City School District this morning, in the wakes of
Ogden School Superintendent Brad Smith's
Ogden School District Media Specialist/librarian Massacre and his
Adult Education Program "Friday Surprise," as the
Standard-Examiner runs a couple of new items this morning demonstrating that our seemingly desperate and suddenly
pinch-penny OSD Captain Smith is apparently nowhere near done with cutting the
Ogden City Schools' budget clean down to the water line.
Check out this morning's Nancy Van Valkenburg's story, folks, which reports that
Ogden City school-kids will be suddenly doing without the services of 250
"reading coaches" who'll be tossed overboard very soon:
And here's an eye-opening
Standard-Examiner video piece showing the reaction to this news from the reading coach
"crew":
![]()
"Who's gonna help the kids read?" one short-timer reading coach asks.
"Will the The Captain" "go down" with the apparently sinking OSD ship?" That's our
sodden question,
Peeps.
We'll close up Ms. Van Valkenburg's morning
OSD article series with a story about the online petition
we wrote about and linked a couple of days ago:
Here's another quick link to the petition, by the way... just in case you
"forgot" to sign it [wink-wink]:
And please don't let the cat get yer tongues (whatever you do).
11 comments:
The "Slew if Administrative Changes" story is a year odld... dated May 2012. Or at least the story your link goes to is.
Thanks, Bob. I've yanked the link.
Schools in Ogden City are a reflection on our city. i am anxiously awaiting a statement from Mayor Caldwell on these developments. I also imagine that our elected state representavies will be contacting the State Board of Educatioin to monitor Ogden City schools.
Caldwell is free to state an opinion, but Hizzonah has no responsibility for the schools' operation. I don't expect a public statement from him, though if I were mayor I'd be using whatever influence I had behind the scenes to get Smith removed, or at least reined in. Declining schools can be toxic to attempts to draw businesses to a city.
Caldwell is the elected Mayor (or leader) for Ogden parents. As such I expect him to show some leadership abilities. Not hiding out and remaining silent on an issue that impacts everyone in Ogden. Either lead or get out of the way and have a leader take over..Ignoring the problem will not make it go away.
Agreed, mostly. But again, the Mayor has zero authority over either Smith or the School Board that appointed him, the latter of which can claim as much authority to act by right of election as Hizzonah can.
You can't have it both ways. You have often stated on this forum and others how perceptions of the school system hurt Ogden. If the Mayor is serious about luring business to Ogden he has a responsibility to speak out on this issue. People considering moving themselves and their family or business to Ogden desire a good educatioin for their children and employees children.He has authority as an elected official to speak out on and work to making Ogden attractive attraction for growth. However it appears that the Mayor has absolutely no desire to use his bully pulpit to help Ogden residents.
As I said above, BR, were I the Mayor, I'd be using whatever influence I had behind the scenes to influence the School Board. That might be more effective than, as you put it, mounting the bully pulpit on an issue on which he has no actual authority to act. He might also think it not conducive to attracting businesses to have the Mayor braying publicly that he thinks the Superintendent of Ogden's schools is an incompetent and the Board members who appointed him are fools.
I don't know Hizzonah's thinking on this. Just considering what I'd do if the office were mine ... god forbid.
Apparently the Mayor and perhaps you believe that making Ogden an attractive and desirable locatiion begins and ends with talking about recreatioin destinatioin. With apologists helping Caldwell evade any leadership responsibilities nothing will change or improve. Improving Ogden schools is desirable but not important enough to speak about publicy Again I repeat you have often stated how bad schools hurts Ogden but apparently not enough for our Mayor to act. Being Mayor consists of more than riding a bike on Ogdens trails. Being Mayor used to mean working to make the city a better place to live, raise your children and perhaps locate your business here. Now it seems it means being mute on a very important issue.
Re: your first sentence above. I don't know the Mayor's thoughts on that. Haven't asked him. But I've said nothing if the kind.
I think we've about exhausted fruitful exchange on thus one, BR. Ciao.
The issue still remains.. The Mayor, of all of his so called talk about making Ogden an attractive destination for visitors, families and business refuses as of now to speak out on this important issue. Caldwell has no hesitatioin speaking out about airport control towers or building additional freeway off ramps among other things. But providing a quality educatioin for children of Ogden residents eludes comment.
Post a Comment