ROAD-MAP TO DISASTER - Read Francesca Schmid Thomas PLAN for SUSD and Decide If You Want This Person Leading Our District. Since the Internet doesnt forget, lets look back at FSTs public announcement this Spring and decide if we want her controlling our schools in the future. While Francesca was not on the Budget Committee that led to the eradication of the K-5 Programs this year, she endorsed its worst actions. She gladly Rubber-Stamped the Superintendents plan to slash Specials and cut the School Year. She thought it was a good idea and even added that The Board Should Have Made the Cuts This Year [meaning the 2013/14 school year] WHY? Because she thought that failing to Cut Specials in 2013/14 sent the wrong message to parents. She said parents needed to know that cutting Specials was not an idle threat. We argued then that cutting K-5 programs would lead to the loss of enrollment. We argued from the Budget Committee, in the press, on Facebook and in private. Francescas Response: To ROSSs point about the loss of arts in elementary encouraging more folks to leave, I would simply ask where do you think they will go? . . .good lord . . . . even now when we read that statement we drop our heads and wonder in silence just how disconnected our Wannabe Board candidate really might be. Francesca was not done at that point - she had more to say: Francesca Thomas: The cuts to specials were explicitly listed as the consequence of a no vote on the override. The decision to cut specials to half was agreed to by the multiple stakeholders- community members, parents, teachers and administrators- that participated in the budget drafting process. So - what does that logic mean for the future? Heres what it means. If Bonnie Sneed, Kim Hartmann and Francesca Thomas control our Board then they will continue to rubber stamp every foolish plan foisted upon our schools by the Current Administration and declare that everyone agreed * Parents, Teachers, Administrators, Budget Committee Members and Students DID NOT AGREE to slashing the K-5 programs. * Budget Committee members argued vehemently for 2 years that cutting K-5 was a disastrous plan. Pam Kirby sat on that Committee and joined in the opposition in spring 2013. She led the Board as President that Spring to demand that Dr. Peterson go back to the budget-drawing-board and find another solution. * Pam was right. Cutting Specials and the School Week would destroy Enrollment in SUSD. And for that, Bonnie Sneed led the Palace Revolt and got Pam removed as President. And people who volunteered to serve on the Budget Committee who stood up to the Superintendent in 2012/13 were told that your services are not needed when they volunteered to do so again in 13/14. Opposing thoughts are not needed. Consensus and Rubber Stamps are needed. Bonnie Sneed and Dave Peterson got what they wanted then and now seek more Rubber Stamp candidates who will give them what they want next year. One more Note - and we cant stop now without hammering this point home. The Loss of the Override in 2012 and 2013 did NOT constitute a mandate to ruin our K-5 program. Francesca either does not understand the Budget Process or she intentionally misleads voters. The Superintendent is required to propose a Budget to the Board. The Board is required by law to approve that Budget or call for its modification before approving it. The failure of an Override does not mandate the eradication of the services which might receive ADDITIONAL FUNDING through the Override. If funding levels decline, the Superintendent is free to choose from any area of spending to balance the Budget. Dr. Peterson had a myriad of choices - BUT HE AND OTHERS LIKE HIM WANTED TO SEND A MESSAGE TO VOTERS - THE MESSAGE? Pass the Override or else - or else we will wreck your K-5 school year. Did SUSD parents vote against the Override? NO - we supported it. Did SUSD parents need to be sent a message? No - we knew the risks. Did SUSD parents and students deserve to be punished? Francesca thinks so. So does Bonnie Sneed. And so does Dave Peterson. 1,500 parents responded to the threats and messages. They read the message from SUSD as Time to Get Out. They took their 1,000 students and found someplace else to enroll - yes, Francesca, other schools do exist and parents are finding them faster all the time. Those of us left behind need to send a message back. We must put a new Board in place and remove control from those who think punishing 5 to 11 year old kids is a good idea. Elect Pam Kirby. Elect Laddie Guy Shane. As always, dont take our word for it. Read Francescas words for yourself and decide if you want her running our schools. Punch the Comments button on this article to read her statement. azcentral/story/news/local/scottsdale/2014/03/19/scottsdale-might-reduce-art-music-pe-classes/6619115/
Posted on: Sun, 21 Sep 2014 16:52:11 +0000
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