Franklin Sands’ Phony School Board Campaign
BY BUDDY NEVINS
School Board member Katie Leach proposed new ethics laws for the Broward school system this week and immediately got the tentative support of four other members.
The School Board is the only large government excluded from the county’s new ethics law. That’s unfortunately it needs reform more than any other government .
The timing of the ethics law is part elections politics and part fear of the future.
“Can you imagine the chance of this passing if Franklin Sands gets on the Board?” said one member.
An eight-year veteran of the state House, Sands is running against Board member Donna Korn.
Judging from his history and his ethically-challenged campaign, Sands is no friend to ethics laws.
Sands wrote an op ed article in 2006 denouncing the Legislature’s attempts at imposing a law to curb freebies from lobbyists. You probably didn’t read it since it was published 450 miles from Broward in the Tallahassee Democrat:
He called going out to lunch or dinner on a lobbyists’ dime “a personal choice”.
Sounding like a true Republican instead of the Democrat he is, Sands wrote that the ethics proposal interfered with businesses, i.e. lobbyists:
“Additionally, because some of us legislators cannot control ourselves, we have decided with this bill to further punish lobbyists (who only want us to love them) by forcing them to publicly disclose, quarterly, the compensation they receive.
“I am not talking in defense of lobbyists. I am talking about government interference in private business.”
Sands’ Shoddy Record
Okay. But what would voters expect from a politician who handed out committee assignments as House Democratic Leader based on how much money the member could raise. Here is what the Sun-Sentinel said earlier this year:
“’There may be three or four people that raised money that had (top) ranking positions, but that was not really a major consideration,” Minority Leader Franklin Sands said Monday…One Democratic lawmaker, Yolly Roberson of Miami, said Sands put the price for his recommendation to the House’s top health care committee at $50,000.”
He later apologized if he gave the “impression” committee assignments were for sale.
I could go on and on. Sands’ career is remarkable for its lack of achievements. It is remarkable for his ability to ride every sacred cow. It is remarkable for his repeatedly catering to every special interest.
So it is not surprising to me his campaign for School Board is full of misrepresentations.
Sands’ Misrepresenations
First, he criticizes his opponent for getting help from Republicans. Yet it was Sands who interjected party politics in a race that is supposed to be non-partisan.
Voters overwhelming approved a constitutional amendment to make School Board races non-partisan, but Sands doesn’t care. Sands continues to run against Republicans, the same Republicans he could nothing about during his eight years in the Legislature.
Sands’ flyer, which was sent to absentee voters, attacking the Republicans and Gov. Rick Scott for raising college tuition and cutting college aid.Yet Sands voted to raise college tuitions on May 6, 2005, October 2 and October 5, 2007, and April 29, 2009.
Sands flyer accuses the Republicans of passing a budget that cuts education funding. But Sands skipped the vote on the 2012 budget.
Sands flyer contends the Republicans are behind the budget cuts that cost teachers their job.
What he doesn’t say is that Broward has over 30,000 less students in school today than it did in 2002.
What would you expect from a guy who was chided by the St. Petersburg Times on Feb. 6, 2010 for his “half truths” on education?
And one more half-truth is that the Republicans are behind Broward school system’s problems. Yes, the school system could use more money from the Legislature.
But in the kaleidoscopic lens Sands is using in this campaign, he forgets the more important reason:
Broward’s school system has a sorry record of misspending and corruption. Education took a backseat to politics.
School Board members openly interfered with the staff to please their political supporters. Campaign contributors controlled where schools were built and who got contracts. Lobbyists had more influence over decisions than parents.
A statewide Grand Jury blasted the county’s system for its bad, wasteful decisions.
A proposal last year to change the atmosphere at the School Board went nowhere when Broward’s Democratic machine killed it. They were acting for members of the School Board.
Sands, a member of the Democratic machine, was in the House at the time.
I wouldn’t expect Sands to go to bat for an ethics law.
On May 6, 2011, Sands voted against a bill that prohibited School Board members and their relatives from soliciting gifts or accepting gifts from those doing business with the district.
So members had better get busy on a new ethics law. Because based on his record in November, Sands might just take office and try and kill every effort at reform.
August 1st, 2012 at 1:44 pm
Imposing a more stringent ethics policy or code on the School Board and their employees is a great idea, but unless there is true enforcement, it’s just smoke and mirrors.
Beverly Gallagher was imprisoned for taking less than $100,000. Stephanie Kraft was arrested for taking a $10,000 kick-back. These financial illegal acts and alleged illegal acts by past School Board members only skim the surface of the financial mismanagement and unawareness cited by the previous Grand Jury.
The true mismanagement was in the manner in which construction contracts were written as Construction Management at Risks with no risk because School Board members approved them with contingencies of hundreds of thousands of the taxpayers money. These contingencies drove the construction costs up to 35% of previous construction contracts. Additionally, Associate Superintendent of Schools Mike Garretson and Building Official Lee Martin (the one indicted by the Grand Jury of Miami Dade County)came up with the idea to protect the projects’ architects, engineers and contractors with a new Change Order category called “Other”. In this category, the errors and ommissions normally charged to the architects and engineers were charged to the District’s inspector who failed the inspection which caused the change order. For years, the District has paid for Professional Liability Insurance Policies to protect them against the costs of high numbers of architects and engineers errors and ommissions. Find a lawsuit or a claim initiated by the Facilities and Construction Management Department for a project’s errors and ommissions. The only entity doing its job was the Office of the Chief Auditor whose hands were tied by the School Board by only providing funding for 2 construction auditors for nearly 2 billion dollars of construction from 1999-2010. In my experience, the Office of the Chief Auditor brought approximately 5 lawsuits against architects and engineers that involved failed inspections from the Building Department. As the Senior Supervisor, Building Inspectors, I represented the School Board and testified on their behalf, while being under threat of termination by the Board. A total of $3.3 million in settlements were returned to the District. I also was asked to consult on $4-$5 million dollars of those “Other” change orders lawsuits (initiated by the Office of the Chief Auditor). These lawsuits involved approximately 6 projects. Almost all of the $4-$5 million was returned to the District. By limiting the ability of the Board’s own staff to audit and scrutinize hundreds of construction projects, millions were overpaid in construction funds. The same individuals who committed these acts are still employed by the District. These employees implemented and project managed these Construction Management at Risks projects and the “Other”change orders. Maybe $200,000 was taken between Gallagher and Kraft but millions were approved by the members of the School Board because they did not know what they were approving. This is what the Grand Jury report meant when they said they had just scratched the surface. Only the past Superintendents of Schools and the School Board Attorney are gone.
No Board member in the last 35 years has had construction education or experience.
This past week, the School Board’s budget was printed in the Sun Sentinel. For the School Year 2012-2013, the Facilities and Construction Acquisition budget is $345,719,309. Don’t you think it is time to elect School Board members who can identify and stop this financial mismanagement which is impacting the funding dollars for classroom education? The Operating Budget for Broward County Schools is $3,113,527,943. This is big business requiring individuals who have education and experience in managing large budgets, operating expenses, and construction projects, not just blanket stamping approval. This is what has landed us where we are today.
Oh, yes, one more construction auditor has been hired.
August 1st, 2012 at 1:57 pm
Wow! GREAT job, Buddy. I hope his opponent takes this and runs with it all of the way!
August 1st, 2012 at 2:27 pm
Buddy, who’s been feeding you all that spin against Franklin Sands? I’m sure that the proposal suggested by Katie Leach, a republican School Board member appointed just last year by Gov. Scott the anti public education Governor, was a political stunt meant to help her current campaign and that of her fellow republican, Donna Korn.
Let me guess, Korn was one of the “four other members” who “tentatively” supported it. And that is the same Donna Korn who is using a Tallahassee based republican “committee” to send out negative hit mail against Franklin Sands. They also produced a video extolling the virtues of Donna Korn hidden behind the smoke screen that it relates to District 4. She, of course is running in District 8. Now I understand why the Gov, appointed her to a seat (Dist 4) that he knew she didn’t live in or near. It was their cynical plan all along for her to run for the countywide seat so she can continue to be on the school board without having to move. FYI, Leach was appointed to the county wide seat but is now running for a smaller district. Do you need any more evidence of how the Governor and the republicans are playing politics with the school board and our children’s education?
I voted absentee for Franklin Sands. I believe he is honest, hardworking and is more interested in educating the next generation than playing politics with the school board.
P.S. I got the flyer Sands sent to absentee voters and while it did rightly castigate the Governor for his extreme lack of support for funding public education, nowhere did it say “republican”, as you claim, or say that Sands is a democrat.
I did see the negative flyer sent by a Tallahassee based committee to aid the Korn campaign that called Sands a democrat. I reacted exactly the opposite way they wanted me to. I believe Korn knew all about it. Has there ever been a school board candidate before Korn who used an outside group to send negative messages against the opponent. I sure don’t. NOT A VERY GOOD ROLE MODLE FOR OUR SCHOOL STUDENTS…DON’T YOU THINK. KORN IS THE “PHONEY”.
August 1st, 2012 at 3:25 pm
You never miss an opportunity to slam one of the nicest guys in politics in Florida.
Amazing.
Many misrepresentations and half truths to this article but it is not worth picking apart.
Anyone who knows Franklin knows that he is not the kind of guy who needs rules imposed upon him to tell him how to do the right thing, he is a genuinely honest and sincere person who will fight for our children AND against the deliberate attempts of the right to destroy our public education system for their own personal gain.
August 1st, 2012 at 3:59 pm
You missed that Franklin’s son-in-law Alex Heckler is a lobbyist at the Board. Besides that, his daughter-in-law’s husband is an assistant principal. Mrs. Sands has bragged her daughter’s husband will be promoted when her husband is elected.
August 1st, 2012 at 4:02 pm
Isn’t Franklin Sands that guy who told the Sun-Sentinel that he lost “every penny I had” in investments with Bernie Madoff?
Yes, this is someone I would like to see overseeing the school district budget…particularly the pension investments.
August 1st, 2012 at 4:10 pm
“Sands’ career is remarkable for its lack of achievements. It is remarkable for his ability to ride every sacred cow. It is remarkable for his repeatedly catering to every special interest.”
Succinct and to the point.
Mr. Sands did not earn my vote for the upcoming election.
His candidiacy has been viewed as one for the mere continuity in receiving a public paycheck and promotion of one of children into a Broward Schools’ principal position.
August 1st, 2012 at 4:13 pm
This kind of commentary about any person without printing their responses in the same article is nothing less than a hatchet job and I really tire of reading that kind of crap. If you want to take a shot at somebody, fine. Take your best shot. But give them a chance to respond and print those responses otherwise it’s just not journalism.
Plain and simple.
August 1st, 2012 at 4:27 pm
I object to politicizing this race and Franklin Sands has done just that. Not only has he made comments that are partisan but some of the comments he has made, have been insulting and sexist to hard working school board members. One’s party and one’s gender should not be a factor when expressing why he should be elected. Maybe its time for me to file another ethics complaint.
Two years ago the School Board overhauled it Ethics, Nepotism and other allied polices. I was there.
August 1st, 2012 at 4:43 pm
I am not surprised to hear that Franklin is a phony. I was at DEC meeting and heard him tell the club “We don’t need any more hpusewives on the board.”. As an at home mom who has devoted my life to my children and their education and as a feminist I was offended.
Also for you school board novices, if you look at the agenda from yesterday you can see that changes to the ethics policy was a scheduled topic that has been on the agenda for months. It wasn’t something they just decided to chat about for political points.
Go back to Tallahassee Mr Sands and take your poor ethics with you.
August 1st, 2012 at 4:55 pm
Good Citizen = Alex Heckler. Frankly (no pun intended), Sands is a worthless career political hack. My absentee ballot was cast earlier today for Ms. Korn.
August 1st, 2012 at 5:13 pm
Oh Becky,
Didnt you learn from the last time you wrote on here, people will actually read what you write.
Firstly you dont know what the Grand Jury meant by scratching the surface because you were not on the Grand Jury. You can give your opinion but commenting you know what the Grand Jury meant is ignoant.
Speaking of ignorant you quote of “Only the past Superintendents of Schools and the School Board Attorney are gone.” Really once the current elections have passed the only Member, assuming she wins, that will be left from the Grand Jury report will be Bartelman. Do you think before you speak?
Where were you in 2008? Dinnen ran unopposed. If this was such a concern to you, why didnt you run against a member who by your estimate you KNEW was part of the problem. Obviously its easier to run on accusations in an open seat that then stand up to one of the people who was on the board when the waste was occuring. Real courage there Becky.
As for the alleged money you saved, last I checked that was your job. You were an auditor, it is your job to call bs. Sorry, you are not special because you did the job you were paid to do. Lets talk about the settlement and fees that were cut? How much of my tax payer dollars are being used to fund your campaign?
The worst is if the rumors are true you only got in this race to split the vote of democratic plantation voters. Being in the race you all but assured Leach victory. Nice Job.
August 1st, 2012 at 6:39 pm
FYI
The nepotism policy does not apply to step children which is what Heckler is. So he can still lobby. Interesting Franklin has not addressed this issue. I guess from his position on lobbyists who are not his step son, it is clear they will be very welcome at the school board.
August 1st, 2012 at 8:53 pm
Dear Drivel,
At least I had the courage to put my name on what I wrote. I thought the Grand Jury report related to those who were in place since 2007 at least. That is when the FBI contacted me about the corruption. Also, testified with FDLE. I suppose what I wrote was too long for some individuals to focus. I stopped working for the District in January 2008. Remember the Grand Jury report did not come out until 2011 and Ms. Dineen believed it was just repeating the same incidents over and over again. Interesting that 3 groups of laypeople (the Grand Juries) recognized corruption when others try to say it isn’t so.
My job was to supervise building inspectors. I did not manage projects which is what I had done for more than 16 years of my professional career. That is why I recognized all of the convoluted methods used by upper management to overpay architects, engineers and contractors. My job was not to audit projects. I did not have to represent the School Board in lawsuits while they made false allegations against me to fire me. But I do have integrity and I have spent my life doing what I thought was right, especially when it was my job to protect the health, safety and welfare of the public. Something many of the individuals I worked with at the School Board forgot about. I have spent thousands of my own funds trying to ensure code enforcement in the billions of dollars of construction the School Board was responsible for. To begin with $30,000 of my dollars on the lawsuit that I and two other female inspectors filed against the District to identify the waste caused by failure to endorse building codes as well as the harassment and discrimination that we endured at the hands of the architects, engineers, contractors and the District’s staff who supported the ignoring of building codes. That does not include the $13,000 in legal fees I had to pay for Marilyn Battista, who was a full time staff attorney for the School Board but was allowed to charge for the time she spent on the initial lawsuit in 2004. Yes, I turned down the School Board’s offer of $600,000 plus my attorney fees to go away and forget about code enforcement. And for the wrongful termination in 2008 (after a State of Florida Administrative Judge stated the incidents reported against me did not warrant termination), I received a net settlement of $67,000 and change. This sum was the balance of my salary and benefits with more than $21,000 deducted by the School Board for taxes. The attorneys fees for this fiasco totalled $299,000. As far as I know, everyone’s tax dollars are used to fund these campaigns, some receiving contributions from charter school organizations and health insurance organizations. Let’s see, I think the $7.3 million dollars that I testified and consulted on was returned to the District. This sum more than paid for my salary and benefits while I was employed there. How much has ignoring building codes cost the taxpayers in repairs and punchlists completions not performed by the contractor of record? With one third of the mold and mildew projects completed, the costs were more than $100,000,000. Why can’t the District do it right the first time?
If my entering the race insures Leach gets the job, then the taxpayers of Broward County don’t want to stop the corruption. They just want someone to tell them it isn’t so while their property taxes keep going up.
August 1st, 2012 at 10:34 pm
Franklin Sands is a genuine, warm whole hearted person who will only do whats best for our schools. Why else would he run for the school board? Only to make positive changes. He is a very ethical man, who has worked very hard all his life. He has always made a difference, and I am confident this time he will again. Our school systems will become above average once he takes over. He has many grandchildren and obviously he wants the best for them as well. He has high standards and will bring our school systems up to par.
August 2nd, 2012 at 7:55 am
Buddy,
I am one of those people who reads but doesn’t typically post on your site but I can’t sit ideally by.
@ Davie Girl
Please!!! He wants to pad his pension, get his son in law a better job and help his step son get a some business. Just ask his wife.
Mr Sands is in his 70’s and suddenly cares about public education. He has never, I repeat NEVER, championed anything to improve education but now his amazing leadership will help to make our schools “become above average once he takes over.”? Way to shoot for the stars. If above average is all he is aiming for then he has failed before he even gets there.
You are probably one of those naive housewives he talks about.
August 2nd, 2012 at 8:04 am
First, Leach is not your only competition in this race. You can look away from this fact but the petitions dont lie.
“If my entering the race insures “Leach gets the job, then the taxpayers of Broward County don’t want to stop the corruption. They just want someone to tell them it isn’t so while their property taxes keep going up.”
Nice one Becky, nothing shows the desperation of one’s campaign then when they are down to go negative against all opponents either by dismising their candidacy or throwing out baseless accusations.
Sound to me like you are alleging your comeptition is corrupt Those are some strong accusations Becky, care to back it up.
The old board is all but gone. Both of your opponents have ideas based in the now and future. All you do is go on about the past. FYI like Buddy reported, the number of kids in the system is down, building has slowed considerably.
By the way didnt you get a contribution from Associated Builders Contractors. Isnt this a lobbying group? Correct me if I am wrong, arent the builders the same group who would have been part of the problem causing the return of the millions of dollars you saved the System?
August 2nd, 2012 at 10:28 am
DAvie Girl I don;t question his ethics or hie sincerity but I do object to the politicizing this race and making sexist statements. Candidates really ought think before they speak.
August 2nd, 2012 at 10:59 am
Davie Girl=Casey Kiar (jackass’ sister)
August 2nd, 2012 at 11:54 am
To Mudslinger,
The individuals I was talking about are those who are still managing the projects and writing the contracts,who are employees. The bumping clause of the BTU-TSP insured these individuals still have their jobs. Even with the replacement of the School Board by election, there will still be an unawareness by well meaning educators who do not understand the complexity of construction. Since you noticed my endorsement, Associated Builders and Contractors have a summer training construction program and are interested in starting a construction high school to increase the quality of skilled labor in our community and provide an alternative opportunity for those students who are dropping out – 22%, loss of $168,000,000 in student funding. If the District does not audit the projects, how would they know if a contractor is overpaid if the project manager of the Facilities department does not recognize the deficiencies of the type of contract or does not know an “Other” change order is incorrect? The information is provided in the agenda item but no one on the Board questioned these and just blanketedly signed them. The ones that were audited and lawsuits filed by the Office of the Chief Auditor were settled and money returned to the District.
I would suggest someone look at the contributions to Ms. Leach’s campaign, at least one or more are charter school organizations and there are several from Coventry Health Insurance. How will those benefit the public school system when the governor who appointed her wants to get rid of public schools and turn them over to charter schools and business entities? Also, what impact will those contributions from health organizations have on the approval of a sole health insurance provider for the District?
Are you suggesting a construction budget of $345,719,309 Facilities Acquisition and Construction budget for School Year 2012-2013 because is in the past and not here and now? I believe my construction education; a Bachelors of Design with honors and a Masters in Building Construction from the University of Florida’s College of Architecture, 28 years of construction experience, State of Florida licenses as a Building Contractor, Standard Inspector and Building Code Administrator should be of use when those construction contracts and change orders are presented as agenda items to the Board. I believe I have proven my integrity. I have stood up for the health, safety and welfare of the public. I have put my money where my mouth is to defend and protect the public. In no way is this mud-slinging, it is just telling it like it is. I also teach college so I do have experience with the end product of K-12 schools and realize they, too, need alternative methods of teaching students reading and writing. I did make an error above. My settlement gross was $67,000 and change. The School Board deducted more than $21,000 from that for the total I received of $45,461.
Lastly, I believe the financial operation mismanagement at the School Board level has impacted the student funding Broward County Schools has received from the State legislature.
August 2nd, 2012 at 12:23 pm
Oh Becky
Yes or No? Associated Builders and Contractors is a lobbying group? Yes they may do some nice things in the community but I am sure over the years big tobbaco gave to charities while still making cigs.
Many of the waste, overuns, and other problems in the building department came from games played by the buliders. Please correct me if I am wrong? Isnt that what the suit against Ashbritt is about? Again, I am no expert like you, so if I am wrong I am open to hear you out.
You seem to say problems in the buliding department were brought about by problems with staff and builders. To take money from the builders lobby seems to be inconsistent.
August 2nd, 2012 at 12:56 pm
I’ve had several discussions with Franklin about his step-son’s lobbying as well as the firm he works for.
It may not be applicable in the ethics policy the board passed, but it’s a problem for taxpayers if a board member is voting on something that enriches a relative, step or not. I was on the Task Force that produced the first draft of the ethics policy, and supported the most stringent application. The then-board members disagreed.
He told me that if he’s elected, neither his step-son nor the firm would lobby the district. I guess we’d have to wait and see. I’d prefer that they remove themselves right now. If he’s not elected, they can always rejoin the lobbying corps.
As far as his record and comments on lobbyists, “housewives,” handing out committee assignments, etc., the voters will have the final say.
Becky would make a strict Deputy for Facilities. But Board members don’t do what she’s proposing should she be elected.
Yes,Facilities is the bad boy that’s caused very harsh condemnations from every Grand Jury, as well as the infamous doggy bag caper. But a Board member can’t interfere in departments; that’s a large part of what caused the problems over the years.
Board members hold the Sup’t. responsible for management and the General Counsel for protecting the interests of the district, i.e., students, teachers, staff and taxpayers.
And the citizens of Broward are finally holding the board accountable.
August 2nd, 2012 at 1:16 pm
I opine that Becky Blackwood would make a good Deputy for Facilities, but not board member. She doesn’t want to make policy, she wants to reform Facilities. A Board Member can’t do what she proposes to do.
She doesn’t have the depth she needs in the other areas.
Also, she hasn’t kept up with events after she left. Everything she writes is about what happened to her (it was outrageous) some years ago and about her plans for Facilities.
August 2nd, 2012 at 4:38 pm
From what Chaz and Charlotte are saying a Board member has no right to reject or disapprove of an agenda item that is a construction contract that does not meet industry standards and costs a third more. Nor does a Board member have the right to reject or disapprove of a category in Change Orders that has never been used in the construction industry, i.e., the “Other” category or the erroneous payments made with those change orders. The Construction Management at Risks contracts and the “Other” Change Orders were responsible for overpaying of millions of dollars to contractors for years. The Project Manager and the Associate Superintendent of Facilities and Construction Management approved these agenda items for Board review and rejection or approval. Does that mean the Board’s only job is to blanketedly stamp approval on all of the staff’s agenda items. I think not. I was involved in other areas of operations in the District, i.e, Human Resources, selections of Insurance Providers, charter member of the BTU-TSP union, steward, purchasing,staff attorney’s office, District Maintenance. I would be willing to state I do have more experience in all of those areas than either of my opponents,who are/were teachers in schools remote from the daily operations of the District.
If the majority of the corruption was in Facilities, wouldn’t you want it reformed and couldn’t someone with experience in how it operates on a day to day basis be able to give the Superintendent inside information. This past Grand Jury covered from 2005 to 2010. I left in 2008. The majority of the same people still are working at the District who were working there when I was there. That is not to say I have had access to information regarding the District’s operations. Again, you have a $345,719,309 construction budget for this coming school year. If this is the area where the corruption occurred, wouldn’t you want someone with experience to reject the agenda item and say why at a Board meeting or workshop for those Board members who do not have experience in construction. I also would like to see a construction high school for alternative education after seeing the quality of construction our District has had for years. It would also offer students who don’t want to go to college a lifetime career. I am also a college teacher for the past 5.5 years. Alternative methods can be used to teach students reading and writing – some students learn visually, some auditorily, some in groups. There is also emotional education. Why can’t some of these methods be tried as well as using art and music? My son is a teacher in Miami Dade who teaches using rap. It is obvious with the reading and writing scores the District has not found the secret for those low performers yet. I also recommended entering a partnership with the local universities to provide education majors internships in our schools to prepare them to teach and assist teachers in classrooms who do not have a teacher’s aide because of loss of funding. I have also suggested ways to reduce costs. I am not a one trick pony. If experienced professionals, other than teachers, are not needed on the School Board, why do we keep having the same grand jury reports over and over again. Now there are threats of getting rid of the School Board altogether. The School Board needs money to pay its teachers. Classroom teachers are not responsible for the financial mismanagement of the operating and construction funds. Yet, budgets are being cut by the Legislature for those acts. If a teacher can evaluate construction mismanagement, why hasn’t it happened for nearly 20 years? My children are older. I was a PTA president and a member of a county PTA council in another county. Please explain to me why I am not qualified? The last I heard Board members were supposed to develop the policies and procedures of the District. If a Board member can’t say no to their employee,the Superintendent and the Staff Attorney, then maybe there really is no need for a School Board.
August 2nd, 2012 at 5:14 pm
Franklin Sands is what is wrong with government today. All he cares about is himself. He doesn’t care about our dedicated principals and teachers and students. He cares about what’s in it for me. GET HIM OUT OF HERE.
My wife and I voted absentee for Korn. His negative piece was disgusting!!!
August 3rd, 2012 at 12:18 am
Thanks Becky, since you wouldnt answer the previous question of whether you received funds from a builders lobbying group who may have a chance at some or all of the 340 million dollars of construction money it would appear to be obvious you are merely a puppet for the constuction lobby. Sorry we have had enough of that.
August 3rd, 2012 at 1:07 am
Put an end to all this and do the right thing!! Elect Andrew Luciani to the board. Experienced, capable, caring, accountable and loyal to students among other high qualities make Andy the rare find we need fir the changes and improvements our system thirsts for!
August 3rd, 2012 at 9:11 am
I don’t live in Becky Blackwood’s district so I can’t vote for her. But I have followed the news reports on her over the years and I would very happily vote for her.
If she makes it to the School Board, that will be a happy day for Broward County. If not, she should quickly be hired as the new Deputy for Facilities.
August 3rd, 2012 at 9:43 am
I though appreciate Becky channeling her inner Angelo Castillo…
Why bother with 50 words, when 5,500 will suffice.
August 3rd, 2012 at 10:13 am
To Thanks Becky,
I never denied I received a $500 dollar donation from Associated Builders and Contractors. They supported my campaign because they, too, are interested in an alternative construction high school for those students who do not want to attend college and the 22% dropouts who may be looking for a career in the construction field instead of going to college. I have worked in the construction industry for 28 years and found that Broward County is lacking in its number of skilled construction tradespersons. Decreased skilled tradespersons – opportunities for high school students. Construction was the second largest employer after restaurants. Sounds like having a construction high school would be a good idea. If I had the integrity to fight the School Board and Senior Management for their mismanagement of construction funds while working there. If I did not believe the Associated Builders and Contractors’ sincerity in their desire to reach out to the community to help get better skilled workers and provide jobs, I would not have accepted their donation. My donations are identified in the Supervisor of Elections website along with my opponents. You can check all of us out. The information you may find interesting. As I mentioned before, one of my opponents has received contributions from a health insurance organization and charter school(s). With two appointees by Governor Scott, a proponent of charter schools, the School Board is proposing to lease one of their vacant schools to a charter school and start their own. I was told charter school teachers are paid less than the District’s teachers so how will that impact their salaries? Regarding health insurance, there is only one source of health insurance offered to the employees of the School Board, including teachers. Why would a health insurance organization contribute $2,000 to a School Board candidate?
August 3rd, 2012 at 12:34 pm
@Becky…
Can I donate a “enter key” to your campaign?
August 3rd, 2012 at 9:30 pm
Unfortunately, Donna Korn will most likely not be relected, along with Good and Bartleman, due to the way they treat staff at Board meetings. Employees are relied on heavily when relatives, neighbors and friends ask who they should vote for. As many of these comments stated, the Board is not fully knowledgeable of various items, yet all of a sudden are experts on everything. We really do not need 9 bickering board members who can’t seem to agree what time it is. With enrollment declining, 5 board members would be ample. They preach to the students not to bully…but do you see their behavior towards each other as well as staff…and they know they are being televised!
August 3rd, 2012 at 10:00 pm
Way to pay attention. Patti Good was re elected unopposed months ago. We should all trust your opinions.
August 3rd, 2012 at 10:01 pm
Patti Good was elected without opposition.
August 3rd, 2012 at 10:55 pm
Please get informed before writing nonsense! Good a bully??? Really? Rupert and Good are a breath of fresh air on this board! Korn and Leach are intelligent women who ask the right questions! Rupert and Good are not fooled by the BS thrown at them at meetings! Reality check time people!!!
August 4th, 2012 at 11:24 am
Franklin Sands is not a good person. He will do anything to promote himself and to get business for his son Heckler, and advance his other family members. He comes off like a very sweet nice man but he will stab you in the back no matter what the issue, using the lowest, dirtiest tactics, while acting as though butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth. He is the worst kind of politician that fools people using false compassion, religion, or any other means that will make him look credible. Buddy, you got this on right.
August 4th, 2012 at 12:02 pm
Don’t confuse “Sue Sullivan” with the facts. It’s clear that Korn, Good, and Bartleman upset at least one of the school board employees, probably by asking tough questions or demanding performance. Guess what? That’s exactly what Broward taxpayers want.
August 4th, 2012 at 12:10 pm
Sands is only in this race to increase his pension and to get medical insurance. He first considered running for the county commission until he realized his son-in-law Heckler would have to give up too much business if he did. You are right, Buddy. Ethics isn’t a problem at the School Board because they have no ethics law.
It is amazing how anybody would vote for this failure at his own finances and inept legislator. Sands did nothing to deserve another chance at the public trough.
August 4th, 2012 at 3:28 pm
To Drivel and Thanks Becky,
If you take the Miami Herald, read the article on Friday, August 3, 2012 on Page 10B about Education and Building Interest in Construction where Associated Builders and Contractors introduced kids from the Boys and Girls Club of Broward County to the different aspects of the construction industry. This is the alternative type of education program I and this organization are advocating. What are the other “real” ideas School Board Candidates are advocating?
August 4th, 2012 at 9:34 pm
I have full knowledge Korn will be re-elected as no one ran against her…this time….I was referring to “next time!” Obviously many of you do not watch the board meetings..if you did, you would see the way they belittle each other, unfortunately, Bartleman takes the brunt of it this go around. As the grand jury report stated… 5 is ample!
August 5th, 2012 at 10:05 pm
Yes some of us DO watch the meetings and once again people are clueless … I do not see the disrespect from board members to each other as much as I do with staff. We should all make sure that our children come first and egos last….
August 6th, 2012 at 6:37 am
As to watching the Board meetings, did anyone notice that Nora Rupert was the only Board member who voted against approving the coming School Year 2012-2013 because no staff member could tell her why the administrators were receiving increases in their salaries when the teachers haven’t had one for 4 years? Again, according to the recent Grand Jury report who accused the School Board of being unaware in their financial mismanagement. Only 1 out of 9 voted against it.
August 6th, 2012 at 6:39 am
Left out the coming 2012-2013 Broward County School Budget.
August 6th, 2012 at 11:28 pm
Yes.. Sad.. Nora has been threatened and bullied yet the madness continues!what is wrong with this picture???
August 6th, 2012 at 11:36 pm
Mrs. Blackwood – That is what you thought happened at the meeting? I watched and even I know that isn’t what happened and I am not even a candidate. They “reclassified” the area jobs to the district. No one got raises and $40 million when into the classroom.
Wow. You really may want to rethink running.