Yesterday, I accidentally went into “Tom@7thStep.org” instead of “TomCat@politicplus.org” Trunsout there were about 1400 emails there too. Including some from subscription which also need to be closed. I had asked Nameless to close TC’s Daily Kos membership for us, and he CC’d me on th beautiful email he sent and CC’ed me on the almost equally beautiful reply, sending ondolences to all of us. I started the process to close TC’s Twitter an d LinkedIn accounts – I gave LinkedIn everything they asked for and I think they will close it – Twitter wants a little more, but I have it. But there are more accounts. Sigh. It’s Ok, it will get done.
Cartoon – 07 Portland Loaded
Short Takes –
Crooks and Liars – Beyond Banned Books: Wingers Are Destroying A Library System From The Inside
Quote – In some instances, the communications between appointed public officials betray an ulterior motive shared by several board members, who characterized their positions, as well as their reason for seeking them, as being more about changing the library’s governing policies than serving as trustees of a community resource. As a result, morale has plummeted within the public library’s leadership ranks… Click through. This is a mayor, but library boards are being targeted exactly like school boards now, and for exactly the same reasons. (Smewhat off topic – the CEO of Wonkette and her family live in Montana, but have made an offer on a home in Michigan, and things like this are why.)
Twitter Thread Reader – Mueller She Wrote – “Open and Shut” (not)
Quote – All told there were over 790 documents for this ONE GUY ALONE. Did you hear about Costello getting interviewed? Not until now. Did you know about the 2703 orders for phone and email records? Nope. So you see, these cases aren’t as “open-and-shut” as we might think. Click through for details. You don’t need to belong to Twitter and you don’t need to read endless repetition. (There is a little swipe at skeptics which I consider a bit unfair. Not everyone – well actually, no one – is an expert on investigations and/or court proceedings unless actually involved in the process – and maybe not even then.)
(Black History) The New Yorker – The Rediscovery of Florence Price
Quote – In 2009, Vicki and Darrell Gatwood, of St. Anne, Illinois, were preparing to renovate an abandoned house on the outskirts of town. The structure was in poor condition…. In a part of the house that had remained dry, the Gatwoods made a curious discovery: piles of musical manuscripts, books, personal papers, and other documents. The name that kept appearing in the materials was that of Florence Price…. The couple got in touch with librarians at the University of Arkansas, which already had some of Price’s papers. Archivists realized, with excitement, that the collection contained dozens of Price scores that had been thought lost. Click through for the full story (if paywalled, let me know – I can send a PDF). This breaks my heart. At least she has success in her lifetime, and at least we have the music now (and it is being widely recorded.) But to think of all those manuscripts just sitting in a house which was falling apart for 56 years….
Experts in autocracies have pointed out that it is, unfortunately, easy to slip into normalizing the tyrant, hence it is important to hang on to outrage. These incidents which seem to call for the efforts of the Greek Furies (Erinyes) to come and deal with them will, I hope, help with that. As a reminder, though no one really knows how many there were supposed to be, the three names we have are Alecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone. These roughly translate as “unceasing,” “grudging,” and “vengeful destruction.”
There has been, and has been building, a lot of concern about the future of our nation. Even if democracy survives this round of the fight, how will it fare in the next round, or the one after that, if our nation’s schools are churning out the poorly educated? And how will those students become well educated, even if they want to and have the ability to do so, if they cannot get their hands (and eyes) onto the books which contain the material they need?
This artice is addressed to those of us who have the energy, ability, and inclination to invest in the future by serving on a school board – or even on a library board. If that isn’t you, don’t immediately eliminate the possibility that it might be someone you know.
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More than masks and critical race theory – 3 tasks you should be prepared to do before you run for school board
When people run for school board these days, they often are motivated to campaign on a controverisial topic. That’s according to Ballotpedia, a nonprofit that tracks political elections in the U.S.
Three issues came up the most. The most oft-cited issue was race in education, more specifically, the teaching of critical race theory. The second most frequently cited issue was school policies on the pandemic – that is, requirements to wear masks or get vaccinations, or school reopening. The third most-cited was sex and gender in schools, such as gender-specific facilities.
As of January 2022, Ballotpedia discovered 287 school districts in 25 states where candidates took a position on race in education; 199 school districts in 23 states where candidates took a position on responses to the coronavirus pandemic; and 144 school districts in 18 states where candidates took a position on sex and gender in schools.
A worrisome trend
As a former school board member – and as a researcher who studies educational leadership and policy – I find it worrisome when polarizing issues generate so much attention from candidates. The reason I worry is that I know from firsthand experience that being an effective school board member is never just about taking a stance on a few hot-button topics. Rather, it’s about much broader issues, such as meeting the educational needs of all students in the school district.
Too often, support for candidates hinges on the positions they take on the most controversial issues. For instance, in Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis, speaking on behalf of his state’s Republican Party, pledged to withhold support from “any Republican candidate for school board who supports critical race theory in all 67 counties or supports mandatory masking of schoolchildren.”
As impassioned as people may be about issues like mask requirements, keeping schools open or confronting issues of race in the curriculum, running a school district is about much more than any one of those single issues. With that in mind, here are three actions that future school board candidates should be prepared to take.
1. Set district policy
A primary function of the school board is to develop, review and approve district policy. These policies can include implementing state mandates – such as establishing high school graduation requirements – or formulating a plan to evaluate teachers.
One of the most difficult tasks that school board members must do is decide how to spend the school district’s limited revenue.
The vast majority of a district’s budget – about 80% to 85% – goes to personnel costs, such as salaries and benefits for school staff. Paying for these employee expenditures is becoming more challenging because of the rising cost of health insurance.
To stay within budget, school board members may have to cut positions or programs. It’s usually a matter of assessing tradeoffs: Do we cut our gifted and talented program to keep our school safety officer? Do we cut teaching positions to make the budget, and if so, which ones?
Each decision comes with consequences. For instance, cutting a gifted and talented program would make some families upset. Continued funding of a night school program might require a series of budget reductions in other areas, such as field trips or late buses.
A tough budget choice I remember facing as a school board member was deciding whether to renovate an outdated and undersized school theater. The board members all agreed the theater was in desperate need of an upgrade but decided to put off the theater upgrade to deal with other needs. The high school would soon need a new roof and boiler that ultimately took priority.
3. Select a superintendent
Selecting a district leader is critically important. So is deciding whether to keep or get rid of one. A good superintendent can make or break a district. The superintendent is the face of the school community and the district’s instructional leader.
Superintendents work with the school board to set the vision and goals for the district and then make sure they are achieved. They also hire and manage principals and other district leaders. Superintendents are expected to provide for the safety of children and staff and be good stewards of district finances.
Finding a good superintendent involves looking for leaders who have a proven track record in the areas of importance. Do they have a history of improving student achievement? Have they created a positive school climate and culture? Are they effective communicators?
If a school board chooses an ineffective superintendent, it usually sets a district back and the board ends up having to spend time and money to replace them.
A key distinction of American democracy is that candidates can develop platforms as they see fit, and it’s up to voters to decide if a particular candidate will represent their concerns. But when it comes to running a school system, it’s important to keep in mind that it involves much more than taking a stance on a few controversial issues. It’s also about making sound financial decisions and implementing policies that ensure all students get the education they deserve.
================================================================ Alecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone, I’m not sharing this article to be discouraging. I truly believe that any progressive, even if they need to learn in the trenches, would do a far superior job of setting policy, balancing budgets, and hiring superintendants that RWNJs, even though the latter might be more experienced. Even if only because the goals of progressives, and the directions in which they want to go, are healthier and wiser than anything RWNJs can even imagine. But all three areas are definitely something to think about. And the time to start thinking about them is, yes, before starting a campaign. Not only the district, but the campaign itself, will profit from that thought.
Yesterday, I got TC’s old emails down to just over 3,000, which brought me to mid-July. I’m sure I won’t be doing almost 2000 everyday, but I decided I wanted to be more than half done.
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Short Takes –
NM Political Report – Luján recovering after stroke, surgery
Quote – The statement from Carlos Sanchez, Luján’s chief of staff, said the 49-year-old senator experienced dizziness and fatigue Thursday morning and checked himself into Christus St. Vincent Regional Hospital in Santa Fe. It was there that medical staff determined he had a stroke in his cerebellum, which affected his balance. Click through for details. Why is this important? Because we can’t hold a comfirmation vote for SCOTUS without him. Thankfully he is smart, and checked himself in.
Crooks and Liars – Texas Parent Demands School District Ban Michelle Obama’s Book
Quote – “Another parent in Katy, a Houston suburb, asked the district to remove a children’s biography of Michelle Obama, arguing that it promotes “reverse racism” against white people, according to the records obtained by NBC News,” the report said. Click through. It’s not very long. You can’t make this stuff up. (Kafka, Sartre, Beckett, Ionesco actually tried … and could not reach this level.)
The Nib – The Myth of the Strong Black Woman
Quote – But what about the issue we do not talk about enough: How the reality of being a black woman in America can wear away at even the most resilient and privileged of us? A few months ago, amidst struggling with my own depression and anxiety, I learned of three well-known black women who died by suicide in the past year. Click through for article, including hard numbers. As “Maus” has shown (in case anyone had missed it), material presented graphically can have an impact as strong as, maybe even stronger than,mor conventional writing.
Food For Thought:
And Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s dream. Considering the fact that our three-branck govermnet was inspired by the Haudenosaunee Confederacy governmen (whose equivalemt to our judicial branch comprised the respected elder woman of the tribes), I believe it would be extremely appropriate.
Yesterday, I mostly got ready for today’s drive. I also tried to collect a little extra news and videos, so Saturday’s posts may be a trifle dated. Also yesterday, Steve Bannon was indicted by the DOJ on 2 counts of Contempt of Congress – one for not providing documents, and one for not providing testimony
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Mother Jones – The Furriest, Cleverest, and Hands-Down Cutest Way to Fight Climate Change
Quote – But it’s tricky to quantify exactly how much carbon a healthy kelp forest gobbles up. A redwood tree, for instance, grows to be massive over hundreds of years, locking away lots of carbon over long timescales. (Unless it catches on fire, in which case the carbon goes back into the atmosphere.) Things are more in flux underwater. All manner of critters, including sea urchins, are nibbling on kelp—and pooping out the carbon. Plus, the churning sea breaks off bits of the forest, which fall to the seafloor and decompose, releasing stored carbon. So a kelp forest constantly decays and grows back, sequestering and releasing carbon all the while. Click through for story. So long I have been screaming into the wind that messing with nature when we don’t know what function everything serves is simply suicidal. This explains a lot. Just don’t get dizzy from all the twists and turns.
Kansas School District Bans Pulitzer Prize-winning Books
Quote – It’s not just Kansas. In Virginia, one school district is hard at work removing “sexual content” from their libraries. Two board members, Courtland representative Rabih Abuismail and Livingston representative Kirk Twigg, said they would like to see the removed books burned. “I think we should throw those books in a fire,” Abuismail said, and Twigg said he wants to “see the books before we burn them so we can identify within our community that we are eradicating this bad stuff.” Click through for story, including a list to a list of 29 books from Kansas.
GOP leaders say little to condemn violent political rhetoric
Quote – The GOP’s reluctance to crack down on — or even mildly criticize — violent rhetoric in its own ranks is part of a broader pattern in which the party tries to minimize such behavior. Gosar removed the tweet aimed at Ocasio-Cortez, but the Arizona congressman and his digital director said those offended by his tweet should “relax.” Trump, meanwhile, has attempted to divert attention from the Jan. 6 violence at the U.S. Capitol by saying that last year’s Election Day was the “real insurrection.” There was no insurrection on Election Day. There was a free and fair election won by Biden. Click through for examples. GOP condoning violence? By GOPs? Surprise, surprise!
