Tuesday, October 11, 2005

Leave the Seats Vacant Until They Comply

I'm watching the school board meeting online. Only seven speakers in public comments, not much in the way of surprises ... where does Ruth Jacobs find these statistics? ... why is John Garza suddenly so concerned about transgender people? ...

CRC President Michelle Turner speaks last. Just as I thought, she is telling the board that CRC and PFOX think they should be exempt from the rules.

I'll say it again. There are two sets of rules, and that does make it a bit messy, but that's what they get for winning. One set did not over-write the other.

There was a legal agreement that guaranteed them seats on the committee, and set a deadline for submitting nominees. The board could not plan a new committee until they had signed an agreement that ended the lawsuit, and so of course the rules for applying could not have been established before that time.

After the agreement was signed, rules were written and voted on by the board, including deadlines and requirements for application, as is routine when a committee is created. Not just routine, it's necessary.

Those are the facts. There was a legal agreement, and once it was established that they could move forward, the board defined the process for doing so. And that process had requirements, too.

Can these groups really think that having a legal agreement exempted them from conforming to board policies? Do they really believe their legal settlement replaces the ordinary processes for establishing a committee?

In your dreams, people.

If little ole me saw this coming, then we must hope that MCPS' legal staff also anticipated this. They should have their arguments memorized, papers written up, suits pressed, parts parted, briefcases by the door ready to pick up and go. Last time, they seemed to be hearing about some things for the first time in the courtroom. This time, there are no surprises... right?

CRC and PFOX are refusing to follow the policies of the school board. Those allocated seats should remain vacant. If the board wants to be nice about it, they can relax the deadlines, and let the groups apply late, but that's just being nice. They don't owe it to them.

Well, I was going to stay at work this afternoon, but I think I'll have to leave early, go down to Carver and see what's going to happen.

20 Comments:

Blogger Kay2898 said...

Folks what we learned from this testimony today is that CRC and PFOX did not follow the rules in applying for new CAC like everyone else had to apparently.

CRC had nominated Retta Brown and PFOX nominated Peter Sprigg. That we know from previous Wash Times story on CRC/PFOX hissy fit at BOE telling them that had to submit NOMINEES instead of nominee and those nominees of course cannot be previous CAC members like Retta and more


Today's testimony apparently confirms it.

October 11, 2005 1:15 PM  
Blogger Kay2898 said...

They (CRC/PFOX) did not comply.

Appts. rescheduled for October 24...

One other group...MCR did not comply either.

Now we wait again as 12 others are tentatively picked in addition to waiting for the other 3 to comply to seat all in public.

October 11, 2005 4:34 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Oh, it's all so terrible exciting. Why you TTfers focus on the issues instead of this idiotic bickering over "the rules"? Oh, that's right- it's because when the issues are discussed, you lose.

October 11, 2005 5:09 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Alex

If your mentors would stop obsessing on personalities and politics, they might have time for some personal reflection and see they are working against the interests of teenagers in our society.

October 11, 2005 8:15 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Alex

I'm sensing some crepitating resentment here.

The school board is once again shooting themselves in the foot. It's obvious to everyone that they are trying to manipulate their "advisory" committee. They have a preconceived result they want to see. They have been compelled to include community representatives by state law and court order. They are doing everything they can to make sure the "advisory" committee represents not the community but themselves. It's a common tactic of corrupt and repressive governments like those of Mubarak or Putin. It's doubtful the court will let them get away with it but it's undoubtful whether the electorate will. The longer they play these games, the closer we get to the election.

October 11, 2005 9:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Anonymous, I think you guys really should run a candidate for school board, since you seem to have failed to generate any eneregy for recalling them all. I recommend Michelle Turner. Everybody really seems to like her.

What is happening is that minority extremists are holding the process hostage.

October 11, 2005 9:18 PM  
Blogger andrea said...

I have teenagers and I know who is working against their interests. People who want to hide information from teenagers, people who think ignorance and fake therapy are the answers; people who lie about the facts. When CRC takes school directories to use for their own political purposes, first saying they did not, then saying they did it for the good of the students-and then claiming to be the injured party.

I don't know what issue CRC thinks they won- except for the money they got out of MCPS.

October 11, 2005 10:35 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"Anonymous, I think you guys really should run a candidate for school board, since you seem to have failed to generate any eneregy for recalling them all. I recommend Michelle Turner. Everybody really seems to like her."

This seems likely to happen to me. Like many of the current school board members, she's a former PTA president, she's adeptness at cutting through bureaucracy and she's won national recognition.

And could you guys please, please, pretty please run Jim Kennedy.

October 12, 2005 8:17 AM  
Blogger JimK said...

Haha, that'd be good, huh?

Nope.

JimK

October 12, 2005 9:12 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Put your money where your "typing fingers" are, Anon. Run for school board yourself.

Ma

October 12, 2005 9:48 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"Anonymous, I think you guys really should run a candidate for school board, since you seem to have failed to generate any eneregy for recalling them all. I recommend Michelle Turner. Everybody really seems to like her."

************************
HA HA HA HA....not been really reading here have you ANON....??????

********************

This seems likely to happen to me. Like many of the current school board members, she's a former PTA president, she's adeptness at cutting through bureaucracy and she's won national recognition.

********************

As a major homophobe she certainly has won national recognition.

That we can agree on.

Funny how CRC'rs are posting over here like crazy. Too bad their own lame message board is just that...lame.

October 12, 2005 11:30 AM  
Blogger andrea said...

I think Anon- one of them- is having us on. Good joke, thanks!
Everyone seems to like Michelle Turner- really- then why did Ms. Turner say that going to an MCCPTA meeting would be like stepping into a nest of hornets. MCCPTA is a group of people really involved with our schools-and caring for our kids and their education -and the actions of CRC- the disregard for our children's privacy and subsequent denials- have really angered them. I see Ms. Turner is becoming even more like her buddy Richard Cohen- lots of noise and dishonesty and homophobia- Turner just hasn't quite found a way to cash in yet- but she is becoming a new name in the homophobe world. Maybe, like Cohen, she can write a book about it and then go on TV and radio(Penn and Teller and Howard Stern- good choices) - oh, wait, Ms Turner drops out whenever the show has someone who can ask her real questions.

Andrea

October 12, 2005 12:22 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Andrea

I think you will learn that, in the privacy of the voter booth, people's concern for their children's welfare will exceed their desire to impress their liberal friends.

Michelle Turner will win.

October 16, 2005 4:48 AM  
Blogger Kay2898 said...

If she does win...so what? She will only be one vote. That does not make for much success on BOE.

It would be most interesting for her to do so(run) as questions in public candidate forums come fast and hard and on any topic.


Then again Michelle slinks away from any real confrontations where she has to go toe to toe with other side. So far she has done nothing but back out.

October 16, 2005 7:03 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"If she does win...so what? She will only be one vote. That does not make for much success on BOE.

It would be most interesting for her to do so(run) as questions in public candidate forums come fast and hard and on any topic.


Then again Michelle slinks away from any real confrontations where she has to go toe to toe with other side. So far she has done nothing but back out."

Oh, Kay, there will be a full slate and, thanks to the Board's actions there will be an unusually high focus on the election, bringing up an array of issues. Four still wpn't be a majority but the electoral mandate will influence the other Board members.

I presume when Ms. Turner "slinks" away, as you so kindly put it, you'll be waddling in, ready to start a brawl.

October 17, 2005 7:57 AM  
Blogger Kay2898 said...

The issue would be that Michelle would not be able to skip out on questions.

That is a fact...and let me just say that many BOE candidate forums are put together by groups that send written questions to be answered before forums. Those are then made public before the forums for attendees to have questions ready.

That in itself leads to more than a fair share of on the spot questions at the open forum.

Everyone knows that. Then again everyone knows that candidates should have a command about global issues in the school system and not just about what they think they know about health curriculum.

October 17, 2005 10:58 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Maybe folks should bring copies of threatening letters sent by Turner and Garza to those that oppose CRC views and ask questions off those.

Better yet maybe folks should just print out copies of CRC message boards postings and toss questions off those.

October 17, 2005 11:35 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Anon,

You sound really sure of yourself
that Michelle Turner types will
run for and win seats on the MCPS
Board of Education.

Even if Dobson and Falwell offer
big bucks for such a campaign, I
doubt they will succeed. Here's
why.

Ms. Turner has already tested the
political waters in Montgomery
County since becoming the leader
of the group that first wanted to
recall the school board over the
new sex ed curriculum and later
sued MCPS and took $36,000.00 of
our students' funds.

She offered herself as a candidate
for President of the Northwood
High School PTSA. When the voters
(all parents of Northwood
students) were informed she was
the leader of the recall group
that sued the county to stop the
sex ed curriculum, she lost.

Ma

October 17, 2005 1:09 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Ma said...

She offered herself as a candidate
for President of the Northwood
High School PTSA. When the voters
(all parents of Northwood
students) were informed she was
the leader of the recall group
that sued the county to stop the
sex ed curriculum, she lost.

************************

Those in attendance said MT lost by a landslide and the attendees voiced great displeasure at her non-disclosure about her activities with CRC. Just acting like that concerned mom you know as in "we are just a bunch of moms"...when referrring to
membership of those in CRC to Gazette over alleged threats made to Sharon Cox...by CRC members.

October 17, 2005 2:42 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Of course one could always revisit how Michelle T was unceremoniously dumped from MCCPTA as Pres after only one year because of her leadership style and more. That membership could not wait to dump her and did. Since that time Michelle T has spent her time alienating that group even more in various ways it seems. Just read the MCCPTA website and read press items over directories.

Let's see..the MCCPTA Pres after Michelle T. had to get a lawyer involved to stop some of Michelle T's activities in spreading rumors and worse. Michelle T also got swatted in the press by MCCPTA leadership for trying to start trouble because she was such a sore loser in being removed as MCCPTA Pres..the list goes on.

Let's also look at who Michelle would run against...Navarro???

At large seat....??????? Man imagine all the people who run for that seat.

Imagine running to represent a school system you and your group have sued. Yes great fodder for election time.

October 18, 2005 8:03 AM  

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