School Board Member’s Presentation Backfires

 

BY BUDDY NEVINS

 

 

 

Maybe Rosalind Osgood shouldn’t have showed up at the Plantation City Commission last week trying to prove the city’s public schools were doing better.

Commissioners weren’t buying it.

Instead of a pat on the back or an attagirl, Osgood was filleted.

 

Rosalind Osgood

Roselind Osgood

 

 

Osgood had a set of new statistics designed to illustrate that the Plantation schools were better than the dismal letter grades from the state would indicate.

But the new statistics could only be spun so far. By dissecting them, commissioners still found a bleak picture of the Plantation public schools.

Mayor Diane Veltri Bendekovic and Commissioner Pete Tingom were the first to point out the flaws in the new stats. They know something about public schools.

Bendekovic is a retired public school teacher and administrator. Tingom is the retired principal of Plantation High School.

First Bendokovic pointed out that the grade the new scores gave for student achievement at Plantation High fell in the lower half of the statistics. Then Tingom pointed out that Osgood’s new stats indicated the students at Plantation Elementary were doing miserably – 51 percent in the bottom quartile in English and 59 percent in the bottom quartile in math.

However, it wasn’t an educator who really nailed Osgood. It was Commissioner Lynn Stoner, a contractor and real estate broker.

 

Lynn Stoner

Lynn Stoner

 

Pouring through the documents that Osgood gave the commission, Stoner said, “The statistics reflect (that) over the past five years nothing has been done.”

Osgood gamely tried to defend herself.

“We do see learning taking place in those schools,” she said.

Stoner opened up:

“The schools are a mess is the bottom line. The opinions of the school system are not one that’s great…All the statistics are great and thank you very much for them. But it doesn’t change the reality of what’s going on in our schools right now, which appears to be parents taking their children to private schools.

“Parents are not happy with the status with the construction of the school, the condition of the school, (poor) teacher response (to inquiries from parents). It’s a complete bucket that’s a mess….

“All of these school numbers and grades and statistics affects everyone’s community. They want to buy their homes in a nice school district where the schools are good…

“When I campaigned, half the people talked about blue bags (required for garbage disposal in most of Plantation). The other half talked about the schools. ‘Why can’t you do something about the schools?’…I want to hear what you are doing to fix it?”

Osgood tried to answer and was surprisingly candid when she equated the school system to the Titanic:

“…We are all aware of the problems in the schools. We don’t turn around the Titanic in a night.”

Stoner still wanted answers.

“We’ve seen what I believe the deterioration of the schools. Clearly your (own) statistics show that over a five-year period they are declining…What amount of time does it take to fix it?” Stoner asked.

“I wish I had that answer,” Osgood said.

It was Osgood’s most honest statement of the night.

 

 



37 Responses to “School Board Member’s Presentation Backfires”

  1. call the pope says:

    Plantation always has American Heritage and Saint Thomas that they can depend on….

  2. A reader says:

    The schools will never be “fixed” until politicians in Tallahassee stop dictating what happens in them. Educators are also at fault. Time after time teaching methods in public schools are changed at the whim of everyone except teachers.

    The students in almost every geographic area of Broward County come from very diverse backgrounds. All students are measured by the same academic standards no matter what their innate academic ability, their grasp of the English language, or their readiness for school. One standard measurement of the athletic ability, musical talent, weight, health, handsomeness, or any other trait would not work. It does not work in education either. It never will.

    Over and over again, schools experiment with their lab rats, the children, to see what works. Some viable methods are thrown out, the new way comes in, and it takes a year or two to determine if it “works”. The students who were taught with ways that did not work fall even more behind their peers.

    Meanwhile, many private schools, who of course can pick and choose their students, remain faithful to teaching methods and materials that do work. Those schools also do not play “what test can we come up with this year to measure our students achievement?”. The private schools stick with tried and true, reliable and valid tests such as the IOWA or the Stanford Achievement Test.

    Florida requires too much testing and not enough teaching. It prides itself on setting the bar higher. Common sense tells us that not everyone can jump over the bar at the same rate. Schools should be designed to teach all students to reach their potential. Instead, they force out those in the bottom quartiles without getting to the root causes of the students’ lack of progress.

    On a more positive note, the public school system has many magnet programs, dual enrollment programs, and advanced studies programs for students who score at the 50th percentile or higher on standardized tests. The public schools also do a fantastic job in meeting the needs of severely handicapped students.

    The students who score at the 25th percentile or below on standardized tests from elementary school to high school need a curriculum that can allow them to be successful. I say to high school instead of through high school because many of the students in the lowest quartile drop out by 10th grade. Our society throws them away.

  3. What's the pope smoking says:

    Sure the residents of Plantation can send their kids to STA and American Heritage, but what about the kids who’s parents can’t afford their pricey tuition?

    All children deserve the right to a quality education regardless of their financial status.

    Kudos to the Plantation mayor and council for criticizing School Board Member Osgood for her smoke and mirrors presentation.

  4. Steve Moyer says:

    I’ve been hearing the “titantic” line since Mr. Runcie came aboard. This District is heading for another Grand Jury and I absolutely predict someone will be arrested before the first 11M of the bond is spent.

  5. s only says:

    to: What’s the pope smoking—

    The students without $ can go to charters…at least the parents who are interested in education seem to choose them.

    Why the district doesn’t open their own charters, I do not know.

    And since 40,000 students now attend charters, why hasn’t the district downsized in that proportion?

    By the way–the district gets 25cents for every state dollar.(charters get 75 cents for every state dollar)–WHAT does the district do with that extra $ ??

  6. An Observation says:

    I’ll give her this. It is the first time I can recall that she did anything west of 441. I didn’t even think she new that half her district is out there since she never does any of her events in that part of her district. She is never seen in Plantation, Sunrise, Lauderhill or Lauderdale Lakes, and none of her programs are out there either.

    Beyond that I agree with Commissioner Stoner, but she has to realize that beyond a few out lying areas, Parkland, Coral Springs, Weston, Nova, and the such, Broward Schools are really poor. Charter Schools mostly are even worse though.

  7. Vote Her Out says:

    Osgood is one of Runcie’s flunkies. She was at Stranahan arguing with parents that nothing was wrong with their school because Runcie doesn’t want to admit he failed to fix it. She is a waste of space.

  8. Educator says:

    @5 S Only
    Correct. Charters are pulling hundreds out of Plantation schools. Parents are choosing a charter where children can have a disciplined atmosphere that nurtures learning instead of being frightened to walk down the hallway.

  9. Sweet Pea says:

    Buddy,
    What a great job you did summarizing the City of Plantation Commission Meeting. One thing you left out was how many district personnel came with Osgood to do this presentation. There was Jeff Moquin, Chief of Staff and Dr. Balasubramanian (Dr. B) who is the Chief of the Research Department. So far we have two. Then there were several (I counted 4 or 5) from faciities. It makes me wonder does the district think Osgood needs help presenting this information? Poor Dr. B had to come up over and over again to bail her out. Jeff Moquin was pacing behind her. I think he wanted Osgood to sit down or at least let him answer the questions. Overall, it was really sad watching an elected school board member who really did not have the answers for the City of Plantation. Hopefully, when the next election comes around, she will know she represents Plantation as well as Ft. Lauderdale.

    FROM BUDDY:

    It was Dr. B, I believe, who tried to convince commissioners of this delusion: “There is no school district that can match what we are starting to do…There is no better place to put a child in school in South Florida.”

    I can name three off the top of my head in Broward County: American Heritage, University School and Pine Crest. I would include many of the better charter schools.

  10. Seeing both sides says:

    One thing the mayor and council failed to do was mention how the City of Plantation was helping to educate kids. It’s soooooo easy to point the finger but the reality is it is all our responsibility to bring up the schools. The mayor being a former teach didn’t even know how to interpret the old FCAT scores and the old principal needed schooling on what factors make up the school grades. they were in no position to criticize

  11. STOP POSTING ON FACEBOOK!! says:

    So glad that Plantation’s Commissioners called her out!! As an Elected School Board Member, she has not been focused in improving the schools in her district (which is reflected in the downward spiral in test scores and deteriorating school buildings)

    If only Dr.Osgood put as much effort in helping her constituents’ children get a decent education in a safe environment as she does posting selfies of herself on Facebook, then maybe her district’s schools and test score might improve.

  12. just saying says:

    Lyn Stoner is a paralegal and her years of working with attorneys have taught her well when it comes to pouring over documents.

    Her annual financial disclosures would confirm if she left the Fort Lauderdale office of the firm once elected.

  13. Voting citizen says:

    Myself and three other residences of Plantation were embarrassed by the Plantation Commissions unprofessionalism during the School Board Presentation. The Mayor was clueless. She could not understand the stats. She thought they said that Plantation High Schoolers were reading on a second grade level. The stats tell the truth. The lady presenting was trying really hard to help the commission focus on
    helping children. I was very surprise that Lynn was pushing private schools. Maybe
    she will get a contract building one. The residence of Plantation want leaders that will partner with the school board to make schools better. I still need someone to tell me why Lynn was so hostile. There must be more to this.

  14. Clueless says:

    @Vote Her Out…not only was she at Stranahan arguing with parents in support of Runcie, she was completely clueless. Like her trip to Plantation, she claimed she was there to clear up misinformation when in fact, she was the one misinformed. After her opening where she stated that she was the only “minority” on the Board, she proceeded to argue that there were never plans to rebuild Stranahan. There are a million dollars worth of plans from an architect that prove she’s another misinformed puppet. Isn’t she up for reelection? To her future opponent, use the videos of her public appearances. Her inability to answer questions and her misinformation says it all!

  15. Business As Usual says:

    This is becoming the norm in “Little Chicago.” Did anyone else notice the entourage of staff that Osgood brought along to the City Commission meeting? Sadly they couldn’t help her if they wanted to because they don’t have any answers. It’s an embarrassment that two retired public school employees know more than a sitting Board member. The ship isn’t turning, it’s sinking!

  16. Schools Stink says:

    Lynn Stoner hit the nail on the head. As a Plantation-area Realtor, I can assure Plantation residents that I have seen dozens of prospective buyers walk away from home purchases when they started to investigate the public schools. They buy in Weston, Southwest Ranches, Parkland or parts of Coral Springs, where the schools are better.

  17. Count LF Chodkiewicz Chudzikiewicz says:

    A “paralegal in a law office” is an ELECTED member of the County School Board? What in the name of Heavens is her qualification in EDUCATION? Obviously she’s a Black woman so she gets the Jewish Liberal Democratic Vote and the Black vote! But what are her EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS? A paralegal is a fancy way of saying “secretary” or “clerk”, to the best of my ezperience they have NEITHER COLLEGE or EQUIVALENT EDUCATIONAL or PROFESSIONAL TRAINING. This is what happens when people vote RACE (the Blacks), the SEX (Jewish women are the worst offenders here) instead of QUALIFICATIONS! Well, the DUMB PARENTS WHO VOTED FOR THIS CLOWN or DID NOT VOTE are getting what they DESERVE!
    I know, someone will say my comments are BOTH RACIST and ANTI-SEMITIC because I’m being blunt and HONEST! I marched with the original Civil Rights Leaders and served, and still serve, on too many Jewish historical and education and memorial boards to “pass over” the RACIST and SEXIST BIASED VOTING in SOUTH FLORIDA, CALIFORNIA, NEW YORK and too many “liberal bastions” like Cambridge, Massachusetts, Berkley, California, and Brooklyn, New York.
    A school board needs QUALIFIED MEMBERS not “tokens” to please Black and Women voting blocks – WHO THEN COMPLAIN THEY HAVE LOUSEY ELECTED OFFICIALS!
    And, just to be clear, the TEA PARTY crowd in the Republican Party in Broward County is EVEN WORSE! What the Tea Party crowd is doing in schools in Texas, Georgia, Kansas, is introduce religious-linked moobow-jumbo into science, history, and even art classes.
    The Left, the Right, and this or that SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP has destroyed PUBLIC EDUCATION so everyone with two cents to rub together heads to PRIVATE or CHARTER or RELIGIOUS SCHOOLS. I mean, my denomination, Reform Judaism, championed PUBLIC SCHOOLS since the 1860s or earlier in the US, but today the majority of Reform Jews send their kids to private schools, EVEN HAVING TEMPLES RUN DAY SCHOOLS, un-heard of before, yes, I’ll say it, before poor students poured into once good “neighborhood” schools!

    Scream and yell all you want critics of the School Board, YOUR COMPLAINT ISNT WITH THE SCHOOL BOARD BUT WITH YOURSELVES AND THE PARENTS WHO VOTE IN THESE JACKASSES because of racist and sexist biases!

  18. Charlotte Greenbarg says:

    And yet the citizens keep electing the incumbents (except for a couple) who keep expressing love for the administration.

    Go figure. But then all you have to do is look at one of the posts defending the establishment and you’ll become educated. Painful.

  19. Richard Miller says:

    This is outrageous. These school were failing before Osgood was elected. I was not present but I was told that Ms. Osgood was on point. She gave an honest analysis of the academic state of the schools. When i looked at Ms. Osgood’s Facebook page it was even clearer to me. She is with the children in the schools not at political events. All of these harsh comments and insults are because she is black.? The Plantation Commission owes Ms. Osgood a public apology

  20. Count LF Chodkiewicz Chudzikiewicz says:

    IU must APOLIGIZE for mis-stating Dr. Rosalind Osbood and Mayor Stoner’s background! Unfortunately I am having trouble reading the internet and confused the two. LET ME RE-STATE MY POINT in light of re-reading the above blog and article and others on the internet.

    DR ROSALIND OSGOOD heads HER OWN Non Profit which is funded with PUBLIC DOLLARS from amongst others the Childrens’ Council whose head lobbyist is the acting head of the Democratic Party.
    MY OBJECT STANDS that Dr. Osgood is DISQUALIFIED (not as formerly un-qualified) on the School Board as she “passes” on funding that directly or indirectly flows to herself as head of a publicly funded non-profit.
    She is in a CONFLICT OF INTEREST situation that precludes giving a damn about students.
    I am sorry I misconstruded the Mayor of Plantation’s lack of educational or professional qualifications with the conflict of interst disqualifications of Dr. Osgood.
    UNBELIEVEABLE THAT NEITHER OSGOOD OR STONER is worth squat!

  21. MoreBS says:

    “…We are all aware of the problems in the schools. We don’t turn around the Titanic in a night.” You don’t turn around the Titanic at all. It sank.

    I commend the Commission for calling her to the carpet and holding her accountable. Ms. Osgood is your next School Board Chair.

  22. To Voting Citizen says:

    Voting Citizen: I have no idea what meeting you were attending but the one I watched showed how uninformed Osgood was that night. It probably is the first time Osgood has shown up in Plantation, at least in a public meeting and I am sure it will be a long time before she shows up again. Originally, when Osgood was elected, Plantation was not in her area, but Osgood needs to get on board and do something for this city. My other big beef is when someone has to throw the race card. It has nothing to do with her color, it has to do with her ability to understand what is important. My goodness, she could not even define a Title I school correctly.

  23. Joyful says:

    Mr. Miller: I am so glad you know so much about the school grades in Osgood’s district. Before she was elected two schools were “F”s in her area. Since her electon there are now more than 10 based on the school grades for the 2013/14. In addition, her district has more schools in the lowest 300 schools in the state than any other school board member. You see her pictured with children which is great but as stated above she does run a non-profit which makes a slippery slope for her regarding ethics. It will be interesting if she becomes chair how much is done for children.

  24. I found the facts says:

    Plantation Commission is not concerned about failing schools. They did Not support the Bond referendum but Lynn Stoner partnered with a firm to bid for one of the jobs. Lynn Stoner broke the cone of silence by calling a School Board member, perhaps it was Osgood. The school board member reported her. The company that Stoner was partnering with was disqualified and lost 40 million dollars and fired Stoner’s firm. Stoner is mad. She is the one that is disrespectful. She and the Mayor are constantly trying to get residence to serve on school board committee to sway deals. I also learned today that the Mayor who was obviously the one not prepared for the meeting is now working with Nora Rupert who is upset because Osgood was picked as Vice Chair instead of her. Rupert was next in line. She always tries to undermine Osgood. She has asked the Black Principals in her district not to allow Osgod on camps.

    A few weeks ago Stoner made a very unkind comment about the school board in the newspaper. Osgood went to Stoner’s office and tried to address her concerns in a professional manner. Stoner told a resident that Osgood is too wrapped up in children and needs to better understand politics.
    I agree. Politicians want to make money not help children.

  25. Amazing Karnack says:

    Karnack has to laugh. Karnack says the titanic reference goes as far back as Horse Face (Till) and has been the status quo calling card of Don Jimmy, Uncle Donnie, and now RunDMC. Karnack says nothing will be done because the culture is too ingrained. Karnack says the politicos are too concerned about keeping the high paying jobs, they are not qualified, along with nice pensions.

    Karnack says to do that they only hire cronies who are willing to do the dumb things they come up with. Karnack says the most accurate reference is not the titanic. Karnack says it is dumb and dumber on PEDs. Karnack says if you have a brain or a better idea you are ostracized, intimidated and finally run out.

    Karnack says there is no concern over real performance because the public continues to show apathy at the ballot box. Karnack says if you want to clean up or clean out these barbarians they must be term limited and their pay must be tied to strict performance measures. Karnack says until that happens just get out your check book and send you kids to real schools. Karnack says that train left the station a long time ago.

  26. A reader says:

    Karnack speaks the truth.

  27. Nora Rupert says:

    Buddy,
    You know that I don’t write on your blog but had to take exception to #24’s comments. I will not allow criticism of my colleagues that is not true. 1) I do not know the Mayor of Plantation personally, nor have I ever met and spoken to her. 2) I have asked and Dr. Osgood has graciously stood in for me at events at schools in my district, and the request of principals and the community. 3) I welcome and invite all Board Members into my schools to showcase our students,
    staff, and programs- or to highlight the needs.

  28. Count LF Chodkiewicz Chudzikiewicz says:

    ‘I found the Facts says’ states that Broward County School Board member Dr Rosalind Osgood went to Plantation Mayor Stoner#s Office to speak about something. EXCUSE ME, BUT DOESNT THE STATE SUNSHINE LAW STATE PUBLIC OFFICIALS ARE PROHIBTED FROM DISCUSSING PUBLIC BUSINESS EXCEPT WITH NOTICE IN PUBLIC except for matters about legal matters?
    CORRECT ME IF I AM WRONG, but didn’t Dr. Osgood VIOLATE THE STATE LAW by going to Mayor Stoners Office? IF Mayor Stoner spone to Dr. Osgood didn’t Mayor Stoner violate the law?

    Is this Defender of Dr. Osgood proving the case her supporters are ignorant of Basic Facts like the Sunshine Law?

  29. Get your Facts Straight says:

    Count LF Chodkiewicz Chudzikiewicz, please think before you write.

    1) Stoner is not the Mayor of Plantation, Diane Veltri Bendekovic is. Just read the article and you will see it is Commissioner Stoner;

    2) The Sunshine Law applies to two or more people on the same board discussing matters that may come before it. The School Board and the City of Plantation are two separate government boards, not the same board. So the Sunshine Law doesn’t apply, unless the two of them do sit on some other board together and only as to matters that may come up before that board (which I don’t see here).

    So Count, you don’t know your basics and it’s embarrassing (or funny to many) to read them.

  30. JW says:

    I agree with Karnack, “the culture is too ingrained”. The culture is so ingrained that those charged or tasked with identifying, rooting out and reporting Policy violations become perpetrators themselves and violate Policy and process documents for actions that absolutely did not occur. After violating Policy the perpetrator compounds the issue by, in typical School Board culture, coming up with a ridiculous SPIN. The SPIN is accepted and repeated by supporters of the perpetrator. Those supporters do not use common sense to review the facts, analyze that information and understand a Policy was violated and documents were processed to represent an action that did not occur. What would that document be considered? No, no no, not a mistake. It was knowingly and intentionally processed to represent an action but that action did not occur.

    I also agree with Karnack that they hire cronies.

  31. To Nora says:

    Please do not even give credence to #24 throwing the race card to excuse incompetence. If I have to sit through one more “equity” training I may lose it! Here’s my equity training…in the real world, you do your job and prove your worth and you are valued for your competence, not race, religion or gender!
    When you decide to stand in front of ANY community, know what you’re talking about. When you chair a meeting, try to look organized and prepared. The excuses are getting old. This ship is at the bottom of the ocean! I can’t wait until the new CAO is revealed. Guaranteed it won’t be based on qualifications but on connections. Runcie may get the award for the worst at hiring and keeping good staff in place! Osgood does one thing well. She knows how to keep the Superintendent happy so that her eastern schools get renovations. Last I checked, the Board’s job wasn’t to keep the Super happy but to do what is best for the children in this county. Not just the children in your little area but throughout the district! Pull your head out of the sand and help this district! It will take years to recover from the state it’s in now!

  32. Correction... says:

    I have to make a correction. When I wrote CAO. I was referring to Chief of School Performance and Accounability Officer.

  33. same s***, different day says:

    A new chief facilities officer will be hired by the board on Tuesday October 20. Everyone reading this should google “Houston Independent School District construction audits”. Get ready, here comes another Grand Jury. Someone put up the bat signal for Scorekeeper, Hammerhead, Senior PMS, and of course Karnack. We need you all.

  34. Count LF Chodkiewicz Chudzikiewicz says:

    “Get your facts straight” seems NOT TO GET THEIR FACTS STRAIGHT! as far as I now about the only significant point, 2).
    The various City Attorneys on Miami Beach, 1995-2005 always explained NO ELECTED OFFICIALS, not only “members of the same voting entity” were covered. If there is such a “misreading” of the Law, blame Murray Dubbin and his staff!
    However, I think the OBVIOUS INTENT of the “Sunshine Law” is that PUBLIC OFFICIALS NOT DISCUSS PUBLIC BUSINESS IN PRIVATE! And that is what obviously was “violated here”! The main point is that Board Member Osgood is typical of the unqualified, lazy, sloppy, alibi-driven, political hangers-on that infest non-profit organizations in South Florida and too much of America!

  35. michael says:

    Seriously, everyone smile. Then do these 4 things and we are al Golden and achieve exactly what all of us are always saying we want… so… we should… smile.

    1. Assemble the same presentation team as recently presented at Plantation but have them work with Plantation to put together the most persuasive presentation using the most damning statistics showing the most glaring shortcomings where we fail our kids the most in our schools to show the district’s worst educational outcomes and failure to construct to meet needs that they can manage. Then present this info to the Plantation City Council. Appropriately: By doing this we focus best on the places that require our attention the most.

    2. Send this same team over to city hall and have them work together, not once symbolically, but make the city council the lead and put your people at their behest, the city councils, with the aforementioned directions as to producing a “negative” presentation.

    3. MAKE PROMISE AND CHANGE PROGRAMS JUSTICE-FREE SAFE-SANCTUARIES for KIDS and TEACHERS too.

    – Ask PROMISE/CHANGE teachers to draft a TEACHERS OATH akin to a Doctors Oath.

    – JUSTICE APPLIED ANY CHILD IS WRONG AND IMMORAL – PERIOD. One does NOT teach justice to children by enacting justice upon them, this teaches continued injustice is OK, it is not. To make our schools fundamentally-SAFE we must make them Safe-Sanctuary JUSTICE-FREE ZONES. Children are NOT miniature adults. Kids learn to read, then read to learn. Why learn? To avoid being punished if wrong? It is time for change. We know what to do, it is time to do it.

    4. DO IMMEDIATE JOINT LETTER TO CDC – One in Three is NOT OK, OK? Go to the CDC Immediately

    – The NRA has managed to BAN the CDC from doing SCIENCE research into the roots of aggression in society – you accomplish goals in regard guns and implementing real scientific monitoring of what’s going on in our schools and a way to educate ourselves about what needs to be done and can be done.

    – One in three children is reportedly abused criminally in Florida – Because of this ASK: City Council & Broward School Board – Draft and deliver a letter from both City Council and School Board to the CDC in Atlanta asking that the “behavioral transmission of neurotoxic stress in our schools and communities” be investigated, researched, and studied with immediate urgency – with all data and conclusions made available to the public.

    Anonymous Poll Every Student Weekly about Bullying and More – Channel

    https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL37zI8Bvr5cfxxk___DYPGVnkDs-rPuLl

    Most Recent School Board of Broward county Community Town Hall Meeting – October 2015

    https://youtu.be/BJVuldTm5To?list=PL37zI8Bvr5cfxxk___DYPGVnkDs-rPuLl

  36. michael says:

    I seem to recall recently saying that our kids aren’t going to know to stop to help someone on the side of the road when they need help. or fear them, or something to that effect, sigh! When will the district just say that “JUSTICE APPLIED KIDS IS IMMORAL.”

    Dear BUDDY, I’ve been told recently from very good authority that Dr. Osgood and the district DID come forward with the unfiltered truth to present themselves in an HONEST light, is this true? Can it be possible that they are telling the truth AND so are you and the Plantation Council in that ALL of your interpretations and impressions are truthful – I mean, why wouldn’t they be, of course they are. So there can be but one conclusion and it means the following must be considered: Was Dr. Osgood AND the District HEROES in being brave enough to be ready to come forward with the truth and it wasn’t recognized? Is it possible that BOTH the district in the form of the board member, Dr. Osgood and the school district, and the City Council members came loaded for bear to show the DISMAL TRUTH about the status of our kids education and health at all schools charter, private, public, all of them, regardless of testing or method? Here is the important take-away regardless, not to get sidetracked: Our school-culture itself is not working and it is evident top to bottom, side to side, just as one would expect for something that is ubiquitous – our zero-tolerance attitude of disrespect toward our own children IS TO BLAME. Ready to end it?

    Buddy,
    What a great job you did summarizing the City of Plantation Commission Meeting. One thing you left out was how many district personnel came with Osgood to do this presentation. There was Jeff Moquin, Chief of Staff and Dr. Balasubramanian (Dr. B) who is the Chief of the Research Department. So far we have two. Then there were several (I counted 4 or 5) from faciities. It makes me wonder does the district think Osgood needs help presenting this information? Poor Dr. B had to come up over and over again to bail her out. Jeff Moquin was pacing behind her. I think he wanted Osgood to sit down or at least let him answer the questions. Overall, it was really sad watching an elected school board member who really did not have the answers for the City of Plantation. Hopefully, when the next election comes around, she will know she represents Plantation as well as Ft. Lauderdale.

    FROM BUDDY:

    It was Dr. B, I believe, who tried to convince commissioners of this delusion: “There is no school district that can match what we are starting to do…There is no better place to put a child in school in South Florida.”

    I can name three off the top of my head in Broward County: American Heritage, University School and Pine Crest. I would include many of the better charter schools

    – See more at: http://www.browardbeat.com/school-board-members-presentation-backfires/#sthash.OswrbHC3.w4y2EouD.dpuf

    Osgood had a set of new statistics designed to illustrate that the Plantation schools were better than the dismal letter grades from the state would indicate.

    But the new statistics could only be spun so far. By dissecting them, commissioners still found a bleak picture of the Plantation public schools.

  37. michael says:

    Hi Buddy, Let me ask a question much more succinctly, did the district present itself in a negative light? They claim to me that they did present themselves in an honest, and therefore inherently negative, light. I think this would mark a dramatic and welcome change that harbors REAL change and improvement to come, if true… is it Buddy? I trust your eye and ear more than these others. What say you, is someone outright fibbing? Or?