More Nastiness At Broward School Board

BY BUDDY NEVINS

Broward School Board member Laurie Rich Levinson needs a lesson in collegiality.

She acts like her opinion is more important than those who differ with her. 

Even if they got elected, just like her.

Laurie Rich Levinson

The latest from Levinson was over the annual evaluation this week of School Superintendent Robert “Bob” Runcie

School Board member Lori Alhadeff maintained that Runcie’s leadership was “unsatisfactory”. She gave him a very low score— 1.18. 

Levinson believed Runcie was the greatest thing since sliced bread. She called him a “highly effective” manager and handed him the highest score possible — 4. 

But Levinson couldn’t let it go.  

She called on the public to dismiss Alhadeff’s rating as an “outlier”. 

Levinson implored the public to ignore Alhadeff’s evaluation. By doing so, Levinson insisted, Runcie would have a much higher median score.   

Levinson — she also belittled Alhadeff’s comment that Broward received a “B” score, while our neighboring counties received “As” — was right about her math. She was wrong about how the nine-member School Board is supposed to work. 

Every School Board members’ opinion is equal. Alhadeff’s opinion is as valuable as Levinson’s. 

Levinson forgot the only math that really counts in politics:

She received 20,041 votes in the 2018 election. 

Alhadeff got 25,196 votes in the same election. 

So who is the outlier? 



26 Responses to “More Nastiness At Broward School Board”

  1. Pollworker says:

    Levinson, the actual candidate and School Board Member, had a complete meltdown at the West Regional polling site during early voting. She got in a big, loud altercation with some of the high school students from Parkland who were campaigning for her opponent. Then after her campaign staff wisely pulled her away to calm her down, she couldn’t relax and called someone to vent. It was an unbelievable scene.

    I have been doing this many years, and it was still shocking to see a school board member get out of control at children like that.

    It’s the same disgusting attitude displayed here.

  2. PettyBetty says:

    Worst airbrushed photo ever Lori. You have never looked that good.
    You should try another app.

  3. Tom james says:

    Investigate Rich Levinson husband

  4. City activist Robert Walsh says:

    Exactly Buddy.

  5. A reader says:

    I wonder who could be Laurie Rich Levinson’s mentor, possibly Hilary Clinton? Both seem to have poor judgement. Hilary has finally faded away into a has been. Laurie seems to be following the same path. Out of touch with her constituents.

    FROM BUDDY:

    One of her mentor’s has to be her mother Nan Rich, the former state Senator and now County Commissioner.

  6. Charlotte Greenbarg says:

    That’s what they called me when I gave low grades to their allies who appeared before the Consultants Review Committee. Then they disbanded it so members could make sure the vote went the “right way.” Then the FBI got involved. It went downhill fast. This bunch should learn from history

  7. Anonymous says:

    She has a long history of bullying.
    “This week, supporters of Broward School Member Laurie Rich Levinson, including her husband Neil Levinson, have been accused of intimidating family members of Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting victims at early voting locations. On Saturday, loud supporters screamed at the wife and young child of her opponent Richard Mendelson. On Sunday, Neil Levinson allegedly yelled in the face of Johanna Feis, the younger sister of slain MSD coach-hero Aaron Feis. The Levinson campaign appears to have a history of these bullying tactics.”

    Back in August 2010, supporters of Laurie Rich Levinson told Weston voters to ignore the Broward Teachers Union (BTU) co-endorsement of Levinson and School Board Member Phyllis Hope.”

  8. CARTMAN says:

    Still waiting for her father to install my carpet!!!!.Runcie is awful. Need to get rid of jeff moquin as well

  9. Linda Gancitano says:

    The only way to heal as a school district is to move forward. Runcie is doing great things if people were to stop living in the past where pain and hurt is and choose to see the miracles that are already happening in the schools.Ms.Alhadeff is still hurting and not open to allow good to be seen. Levinson and Runcie are supporting incredible initiatives right now!Of course the media wouldn’t want to print good.Media is looking to get readers

  10. Anonymously says:

    Runcie is a horrible administrator. Why isn’t there a poll amongst the parents to see if he should stay or go. Looks like the school board members are hiding something all but one person. Why don’t you ask the parents of kids who had bad things happen to their kids and called Runcie and never received a callback.

    FROM BUDDY:

    They have a poll. Its called an election. If you don’t like Runcie, the public can vote out his supporters on the School Board.

    The biggest complaint I received about the schools when working for the Sun-Sentinel was the refusal of any school staff — including school-based staff — to communicate with parents and answer their questions. Places like Publix, Walmart and, surprisingly, the county commission offices are a thousand times more responsive than the school system. So are charter schools, which may be one reason why they are gaining students at the expense of the tradition public system.

  11. Crystal Hayes says:

    I have not been witnessed to any of the said behavior and actions. However, as a community and youth advocate- it is imperative that we all use our best ways of ensuring professionalism is displayed at all times. This will include in disagreements, agreements, discussions and most of all tragedies that affect each and every community which makes us the counties we send most of our day to day and lives in. Remember our youth are always watching. How can we ask and guide them to a better tomorrow when we can’t get it right today. Let’s think forward and find a medium. Remove the personal vengeance in order to see the facts only. Thank you.

  12. Karen says:

    School Boards should be focused on the work of schools and bettering the education of youth. Members who forget that should be reminded at election time.

  13. Caren Ragan says:

    Hard to believe anyone still sending their children to Broward public schools as long as Runice and board is still there. Shows the callous indifference to our students.

  14. Dan Lewis says:

    People see what they believe instead of believing what they see. Too often, we judge others by their worst examples and ourselves by our best intentions.

    As an example, some will believe I am speaking to Alhadeff’s supporters but her supporters will believe I’m speaking to Levinson’s supporters.

    But, believe or not – by virtually every objective criterion, Mr. Runcie has not been good for Broward schools.

  15. Courtney Feils says:

    And she was voted back in to office…we need to vote them out! Most of the problems is due to the unethical election laws & practices that have been set in place.

  16. Native Floridian Broward County Schools graduate says:

    Dear Linda Gancitano (#8): Do you have a degree to practice psychiatry or psychology and are you licensed to practice in the State of FL? Even if you are, you can’t diagnose someone you’ve never seen in-person. But, you don’t want to diagnose Levinson’s mental issues? Please stick to the topic of effective leadership. Runcie needs assessment as well, just based on his past history in Broward County regarding almost every sub-department at Broward County Schools.

  17. Chaz Stevens says:

    Many mango seasons ago, the NEHS truant officer paddled my ass for calling my chemistry teacher a “shithead” for accusing me of cheating.

    Decades later, the school system is still making my ass sting.

  18. Nonya says:

    Change the school boundaries to make schools actually representative of the areas they service. This is why after elementary schools the public schools are trash in this county. Parents are leaving the system in droves because they have gerrymandered the boundary lines, leaving absurdly unrepresentative demographics in the schools. Almost all of these broward middle and high schools are highly segregated. They’re all black and minority.

  19. Chaz Stevens says:

    @17

    According to the US census (July 2018 estimates):

    Black or African American: 30.1%
    Hispanic or Latino: 30.4%
    White alone, not Hispanic or Latino: 35.6%

    60% of the county’s population is not white .. which, hate to break the news to you Mr. Trump, that makes whites a minority.

    https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/browardcountyflorida

    According to the Brookings Institute, less than half the kids under the age of 15 are white:

    https://www.brookings.edu/research/less-than-half-of-us-children-under-15-are-white-census-shows/

    So basically, your 1950s attitude is well, a 1950s attitude.

    The world is becoming tanner… Get used to it.

  20. anonymous says:

    @courtney – Courtney there are many issues with our elections laws which have been rigged by the good old boys but the bigger problem is that the school board is elected in August. Voter turnout is only 20%. The same people have been voting for decades and your established politicians have been working them for the same amount of time. Get out and vote if you want change.

  21. City activist Robert Walsh says:

    #18.Who cares if the world is getting Tanner.I will tell u what and alot of other people I talked to is we are sick of taking care of other people’s children ( inc.White,Brown,Black,u name it).We are also sick of paying for homeless people to pay for free apartments for them.We are sick of paying for just about everything.Education.Medical/ dental etc.I mean if u can.t afford to have children,than don.t have them..

  22. Worker says:

    Levinson incredibly (when you compare) is the boards most clueless and classless member. Routinely she erroneously bullies the maintenance department dropping the “I’ve been there and done that” due to her fathers business. Sadly, she is just a arrogant mouthpiece with incorrect information. She’s rude and clueless. A bully. The worst member on this board. And, that’s saying something.

  23. FATMAN says:

    @20

    so basically you are just SICK

  24. City activist Robert Walsh says:

    No FatMan I am sick of being sick and tired with all these freebees some people are getting while the rest of us pay for it all.Thats what I’m sick of…

  25. George Navarini says:

    I thought that the Broward School Board frowned on bullies, and has a zero-tolerance on bullying, but I guess such rules are for the plebes and rubes, and not the “honorable” Ms. Rich-Levinson.

    More and more I am convinced that Ms. Rich-Levinson and several others in the Broward County School Board should be given a lesson in humility by the voters of this county, and shown the door.

    Once again, great reporting Buddy!

  26. Nathalie Lynch-Walsh says:

    The Superintendent is evaluated on four different “goals” which are differently weighted: Leadership=40%; High Quality Instruction=25%; Continuous Improvement=20%; and Communication=15%. These are added together for an overall score. Both the overall mean (2.81) and median (3.33) put Runcie in the “effective” range. Four overall board scores were below 3.33, and four were above. Alhadeff’s overall rating of 1.4 was no outlier as it was well within two standard deviations of the mean. Removing her score would have resulted in a mean of 2.98–so her score hardly skewed the results. In short, Rich Levinson’s math was as wrong as her behavior.