BTU Endorsed School Board It Now Calls “Corrupt”
BY BUDDY NEVINS
The Broward Teachers Union is yelling loud about the “corrupt School Board and its croniesnow.
In an e-mail to Browardbeat.com, a BTU spokesman said the insurance committee of the School Board is swayed by the “apparent unethical and corrupt influence of school board members and their cronies.
The newspapers and blogs have been filled with BTU statements about the evils of the School Board
The BTU is right. The School Board desperately needs fixing.
But the BTU is part of the problem. The union is a member in full of the Club Of Insiders that keeps the School Board in office.
The BTU helped seven of the nine School Board members get elected. The union endorsed them and gave them money.
Those endorsed included Bev Gallagher, who was opposed by activist Henry Rose in 2008. The BTU endorsed her and gave her $1000. Another $500 came from the Duval County teachers union.
Gallagher has been suspended pending the outcome of her arrest for bribery.
The BTU also endorsed Stephanie Kraft in 2006. She is now facing scrutiny because her husband worked for ubiquitous lobbyist Neil Sterling.
The union also endorsed and gave money their last elections to: Maureen Dinnen, former state teachers union president; Bob Parks, former teachers union official; Jennifer Gottlieb, former teachers union official; Ben Williams, former principal and Robin Bartleman, former assistant principal.
Note that one-third of the School Board that the BTU conveniently attacks today consists of former union officials.
Phyllis Hope and Anne Murray didn’t get a BTU endorsement or money.
October 30th, 2009 at 3:14 pm
The fox and the chickens!
October 30th, 2009 at 3:59 pm
The Pot calling the Kettle black.
October 30th, 2009 at 4:25 pm
The worst part about the BTU in this scenerio is that they are linked to the teachers at a time like this.
The teachers, for the most part, are working their asses off everyday and making personal sacrifices with or without the political drama that has the BTU in the spotlight. The teachers are forced to do things they don’t want to do and watch “the children” suffer for those things on a daily basis.
Let’s get one very important point out there and make it as clear as possible; the teachers and the workers are not the problem. They are making the school district work in spite of the putrid leadership. Workers show up every day and are harrassed, threatened, intimidated and under-appreciated while the electeds, appointed leaders and their cronies flounder.
The problems that the Puppy Dog Commission are here to fix begin with the very people who brought them here. The electeds and Notter’s band of renegade useful idiots. The BTU is just another scorned lobbyist right now and there will be many before the circus leaves town.
ANSWER: Eliminate lobbyists and hire competent staff who can be the educated managers that they are supposed to be. Lobbyists are not needed when competent staff is hired and held accountable.
Who is going to have a better idea on what software is needed by an organization…Neil Sterling or a CIO and competent staff???
The cronies and lobbyists are the first layer of waste that must be removed to make government, specifically the school board, more efficient. If the support staff truly supported the teachers and the money was not misappropriated, teachers would teach and paper and books would be provided instead of double-dipping into the parents’ budget when they are constantly expected to send paper from home, or worse pass on that burden to the teachers.
Final thought…the teachers don’t even have to make a choice about food for themselves or paper for the students…the lobbyists (including the BTU) have made that decision for them now that the cost of VISTA has priced us out of making ends meet.
Let the blame lie where it belongs. The electeds and the weak and short-sighted managers that perpetrate the fraud and charade on a daily basis. The lobbyist lead but you know what they say about leaders….they’re only allowed to lead if their followers let them.
October 30th, 2009 at 5:03 pm
The BTU spends its PAC money to support those who are able to effectively support teachers. Why would they be involved in municipal races? How can a municipal official support a teacher? Are they attempting to cultivate future county officials? Check out who they support. Check out the connections with whom they support and Prestige Builders.
October 31st, 2009 at 7:24 am
Anyone care that Phyllis Hope started wearing expensive clothes and driving a Lexus not long after she was elected to the School Board. Not bad for a school data processor with a bad financial history. Can’t imagine how that happened.
October 31st, 2009 at 2:06 pm
Speaking of Phyllis Hope, BTU’s favorite board member, how about the fact that she purchased property on the west coast of Florida right after she was sworn in, while she was in foreclosure on property here? As Buddy would say, hmmm. Check the records under her married name.
October 31st, 2009 at 11:20 pm
Who is calling the kettle black here. BTUsless has a lot of nerve to point fingers and call names.
After all they pushed Dinnen in as their mouth piece along with Gottlieb. Remember Darla Carter and Marty Rubinstien would not bend to BTUsless’s demands and told them where to put it, so they got back at them.
As far as the insurance it goes back to the days of Humana with Lois Wexler! Look back that far!
The bottom line is that the BTUseless officials are double dipping and everyone is looking the other way. Start an investigation of these union bosses. Look at their salaries and perks comparared to us teachers! That is why I dropped my BTUseless membership, dues are better in my pocket!
Feds listen up go after the rest of these cheats and liars and start with BTUsless. Imagaine how the teachers moral would go up when they finally see justice with the union officals falling!!!