Decision on Marko Set After Thanksgiving
BY BUDDY NEVINS
Broward School Board General Counsel Ed Marko’s day of reckoning is November 29.
That’s when the School Board will meet in a workshop to discuss his future.
Marko’s contract expires at the end of the year. The School Board administrators tried to sneak through a new $266,654 one-year contract for Marko before the newly-elected members were sworn in, but it was cancelled after Browardbeat.com revealed the move.
The four new members will take office tomorrow, so they’ll be aboard when Marko is discussed after Thanksgiving.
The original idea was that Marko would be hired for a year as general counsel emeritus to teach the new general counsel.
I have been around government for a long time. I have watched government attorneys come and go since the 1970s. I have never, ever heard of such a ridiculous, wasteful idea.
I’ve got a simple plan: Hire a qualified new general counsel who doesn’t need on-the-job training.
Then show Marko the door.
Look at it another way.dollars and cents.
School Board member Maureen Dinnen is always whining about Broward schools not having enough money. Dinnen is a Marko supporter and pushed to keep him aboard for another year.
Maureen, how many teachers could be hired for $266,000? How many school books could be purchased? Does Marko do one thing that will improve education?
The workshop entitled Status of the Board Attorney is scheduled for two hours, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Crystal Palace in downtown Fort Lauderdale. Only the School Board would require two hours for something so obvious.
Marko shouldn’t get another year-long contract. The Board doesn’t need a general counsel emeritus. There are five other attorneys working for the School Board who can help the next general counsel.
The new school Board members need to understand. No top attorneys will agree to work as the next general counsel if Marko is going to be looking over their shoulder for the next year.
November 15th, 2010 at 11:55 am
Did Marko have a mentor when he was first hired? I think not. The best thing that the School Board should do is allow Marko to retire at the end of the year
Imagine how many books, supplies and programs nearly $270,000 can bring.
November 15th, 2010 at 1:48 pm
I so agree with you Buddy.
November 15th, 2010 at 1:50 pm
The last thing that the school board should do is add another top heavy position. More emphasis should be placed on building internal capacity and creating succession plans for these specialized positions.
November 15th, 2010 at 2:13 pm
That is why they need fresh blood on the school board.
November 15th, 2010 at 3:08 pm
Maureen you are pushing 70+. Isnt it time to go? You are obviously out of touch with the parents in your district. Between this and your comments denying that anything scandalous is/was going on at the school board just makes you look like you are too old and out of touch to remain in office. May Bob Parks be your guide to exit stage left.
November 15th, 2010 at 3:42 pm
Everyone needs to pay attention. The position of “Counsel Emeritus” is already established. It’s fine for anyone to have that position…BUT…there should be NO salary and NO responsibilities. I know that they’re going to try and con the new members by saying that the position already exists. It does, but there is NO provision for remuneration.
November 15th, 2010 at 9:36 pm
The first thing the new board needs to do is rescind the action creating the emeritus position.
Voters will gain an understanding of what each board member is all about, by watching what each of them does with the Marko issue.
November 16th, 2010 at 8:41 am
It is amazing how quick Dinnen and Parks were to vote to cut my job and those of so many others when they had no problem supporting $500,000 in attorney fees for Marko to “mentor” his replacement for an entire year. They gave Lamberti the extra money he demanded for the school resource officer program without hesitation while cutting down their own employees. People were cut who had seniority and good reviews so that those who were “connected” could be retained – even with bad performance reviews – in violation of School Board policy. Why didn’t these old-timers question this? When the State attorney investigates the criminal way the layoffs went down, I hope they both spend their golden years in jail where they belong.
November 16th, 2010 at 9:08 am
Ed did a good job of keeping the School Board in the dark ages … easier to say ‘no’ than to look for solutions to problems … particularly when it came to cooperating with other agencies for the benefit of the children.
November 16th, 2010 at 12:03 pm
Sign the Petition:
http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/gcecs/