Broward Politics: School Board Members Miss Meetings While Running For Reelection
BY BUDDY NEVINS
If an employee in most jobs was absent one-out-of-five work days, they quickly would be unemployed.
So what are voters to do with Broward School Board member Donna Korn?
Donna Korn
Running for reelection to her countywide seat, Korn missed 21 percent of the regular School Board meetings during the last 11 months.
And what about Ann Murray? Murray missed 17 percent of her meetings while running for reelection.
Ann Murray
Or Nora Rupert, another member who wants voters to give her four more years. Rupert missed 14 percent of her meetings, also while running for reelection.
It’s not like the meeting schedule is backbreaking. There were 29 regular scheduled School Board meeting minutes on file since May, 2017.
According to the minutes:
- Korn missed six meetings. The absences include the September 19, 2017 budget hearing and the two 2017 facilities plan public hearings.
- Murray missed five.
- Rupert missed four.
- Rosalind Osgood, missed two.
- The rest of the School Board had only one absence, except for Heather Brickworth, who didn’t miss a single meeting.
The minutes do not include reasons for the absences.
Korn, Murray and Rupert’s absences are scattered all over the calendar during the 11 months between April, 2018 and May, 2017. That could indicate the missed meetings were not from a sudden cold or illness.
The School Board members did not respond to an email last week asking for an explanation. As always, they can send me a comment to post.
But is there really any excuse for all those missed meetings?
Korn, Murray and Rupert have opponents in the August primary.
Maybe voters should ask that if Korn, Murray or Rupert didn’t care enough to show up diligently to meetings, why are they even running for reelection?
June 11th, 2018 at 2:25 pm
schools are in such bad shape that we need to throw out all the rascals. I don’t care if Rupert is the only Runcie critic. She can’t get anything done, so throw her out, too.
June 11th, 2018 at 7:56 pm
Hopefully, those who have missed meetings and are running for reelection will miss 100% of the meetings during the next session of the School Board. There are several people running who might show up more often.
Experience breeds complacency??
June 12th, 2018 at 7:55 am
Lori Parrish and Dale Holness with Republican Korn versus the Parkland families and the father of a shooting victim, Ryan Petty. It is shaping up to be one heck of a battle.
June 12th, 2018 at 9:09 am
Korn and Murray will be punished for supporting Runcie and his lies about Parkland among other things.
June 12th, 2018 at 9:11 am
JIM SILVERNALE IS EXPERIENCED AND DEDICATED TO IMPROVING SCHOOLS. ANN MURRAY IS A WASTE OF SPACE & AN ARGUMENT FOR TERM LIMITS.
June 12th, 2018 at 11:17 am
Anne Murray should take a load off and remain in one of the “cheap seats.”
She and the rest of that useless board rated Runcie ” Highly Effective” not long ago.
Scores of people went before them, advocates, parents and students to plead for help for the bullying problems in Broward Schools. What was the result? ZERO incidents of bullying reported to the State. Did they not have access to this info? Or, was it the “definition” of bullying that was in question? Lets hope they slither away in the same manner as the former rep of district #4 whose name should be forgotten.
June 12th, 2018 at 4:42 pm
Jim Silvernale is a total labor union shill. Electing him would be a throwback to the terrible Maureen Dinnen, who was another total shill for the teachers union. There has to be better than Murray or Silvernale. They both pretty much suck, just for entirely different reasons.
FROM BUDDY:
While working in the school system’s Transportation Division (Think school buses.), Ann Murray was both a Federation of Public Employees (Silvernale’s union, too.) shop steward for more than a decade and later a Broward Teachers Union shop steward.
June 12th, 2018 at 5:46 pm
Most people sympathize with the Parkland parents because we understand their pain, grief and anger. But we also know they’re emotionally absorbed. It’s unwise to entrust them with decisions as important as how best to secure or run our schools. We don’t want to be pushed into saying it, but we’re forced to think it when we hear how some of those parents oppose common sense gun control measures? It’s sort of like losing a son to a heroin overdose, and not demanding more action to keep that poison off our streets. Whatever the thinking involved there might be it doesn’t add up. This often happens when anger rather than common sense drives our thinking. It’s a hard thing to say, but it had to be said.
June 13th, 2018 at 11:43 am
The Broward School Board is completely controlled by the construction industry and politics and caused it’s own downfall by not spending monies properly. Remember why the SBBC’s funding was cut in the first place.A lot of people lost their jobs not due to lack of State funding but due to the removal of State funding due to malfeasance. And so it continues. Follow the money folks, it won’t matter who sits on the Board, they will all be compromised at some point by political pressure. Kudos to Nora Rupert – the only Board member to stand up to the machine.
June 13th, 2018 at 11:47 am
To Sober As A Judge: No it didn’t have to be said. It’s ridiculous to say that we can’t entrust parents with decisions that affect their children. ANY steps taken to protect these kids is a step in the right direction even if it isn’t what YOU think is right.
June 13th, 2018 at 4:49 pm
The Broward School Board needs to be a group of people who understand their job description. School Board Members set policy and approve the budget. They have nothing to do with the daily running of a school. The Superintendent does that. Having said that, the School Board does hire and fire the Superintendent. As the SMART program continues to fail, the voters need to hire board members who really evaluate the job of their employee, Mr. Runcie. The only one running who does that is Nora Rupert. It is difficult to get things done when she is one of the three who criticize him when it is needed. Ms. Rupert has done an excellent job this year as chair. I hope everyone who lives in her district will remember all the things she does here in District 7.
June 13th, 2018 at 7:04 pm
#5 keep it classy!
June 14th, 2018 at 10:05 am
@8 The condescending left….
“Those” parents ARE in favor of common sense gun control, evidenced by their efforts-do your homework. The fact that they are focused on school security and school safety rather than anti-republican rallies at Publix and on the streets reminds us that what we presently have in place needs to go ASAP
June 18th, 2018 at 12:36 pm
You are absolutely correct #7!!! BUT there is a better candidate for District 1, VERONICA NEWMEYER. She will be a “full time” school board member. Completely dedicated to improving transparency and holding the superintendant accountable. Her #1 priority will always be the well being of the students. It is time for a change and Silvernale is just not the right choice.
June 21st, 2018 at 6:30 pm
Well, they do get special treatment Buddy! After all, Dr Osgood said she was TOO new on the job for almost 3 1/2 years Employees get 90 days! SHE HAD YEARS! They believe they are above it! It is why THEY call themselves the leading ladies of Broward! I call them the LOUSY ladies of Broward!
July 7th, 2018 at 10:06 pm
Ann Murray…must go! I am not sure why this dead beat is still in office. Vote for Jim Silvernale.