What The School Board Does Best: Waste Time
BY BUDDY NEVINS
The Broward School Board wastes endless hours discussing, debating and deliberating…nothing.
This logorrhea has a major affect on our schools: The Board is filled with folks who have nothing better to do than spend day after never-ending day at meetings.
A schedule stuffed with meetings, many of them meaningless, is one reason we have a less-than-stellar Board. Over the years, Board members have been lightweights, empty suits, educators sick of the classroom, retirees and moms looking for something to do.
Not all Board members. Most Board members.
That’s because people with real jobs don’t have the time for all this verbosity, especially since much of it accomplishes nothing.
Witness this week’s discussion of advisory boards.
I believe we all would agree that the question of advisory boards is not a key issue in education. The boards have no real power and some have little purpose
Yet, this week marked the fourth “workshop” discussion of advisory boards since last June, two with School Board members and staff and two more with advisory board members and staff.
The latest School Board discussion lasted more than an hour and a half.
All this talk is about changing the way advisory board members are appointed and how the boards operate.
And all these meetings cost taxpayers.
Thousands of dollars of staff time has been spent on various presentations, including elaborate PowerPoints, by supervisors earning six-figures-a-year. The staff involved include the School Board attorneys and Superintendent Robert Runcie.
Ridiculous.
In addition to discouraging whole groups of residents from running for the School Board, serial meetings like this serve another more sinister purpose.
When School Board members spend so much time on the trivial, they have less time to discuss treal issues.
Here is just one real issues:
The Broward School system lost over 10 percent of its students to privately-operated charter schools in recent years. Why didn’t the system cut its staff by anywhere near 10 percent? Why are there the same number of associates of associates and other assorted bureaucrats?
Let’s hear the answer to that one…before the Board asks for $1 billion more from taxpayers.
Oh, and one last point. The discussion of advisory boards is not over. It will be discussed at least one more time, at a regular Board meeting.
Apparently this issue, like so many, won’t be finished until a wave of laryngitis strikes the School Board.
February 28th, 2014 at 2:40 pm
The whole idea of advisory boards except to handle specialized issues is a joke all over south Florida, but the Broward co school board has carried to the extremes of pointlessness n waste of employee time
February 28th, 2014 at 6:40 pm
If wasting time is what they do best, wasting money must be what they do second best.
February 28th, 2014 at 8:09 pm
Buddy,
I don’t know how often you watch/go to school board meeting but they are much more efficient since Patti Good became chair. Board meeting and workshops use to go until 6-7 o’clock. Under Chair Good they are done by 3 most day.
Yes, the topics are repetitive but would you ather see policies made or changed out of the sunshine? Their policy is that every policy change must have two workshop, be presented at public rule making and be voted on at two board meeting. Tuesdays workshop also included discussion about eliminating two of those steps.
February 28th, 2014 at 9:03 pm
You are right. Nora is an educator sick of being in the classroom who has voted against every attempt to lessen the amount of meetings and their length. Good call Buddy!
March 1st, 2014 at 9:09 am
Buddy hit the issue. The Broward School system lost over 10 percent of its students to privately-operated charter schools in recent years. Why didn’t the system cut its staff by anywhere near 10 percent? Why are there the same number of associates of associates and other assorted bureaucrats? If we would have made those cuts we would have money for roof repairs.
March 1st, 2014 at 11:32 am
Not to worry as the bond deal if on the Nov ballot will not be approved by voters
And then all they will have is time to waste
March 1st, 2014 at 4:54 pm
Nora sick of the classroom? Are you kidding? She loved those kids, attended baseball, football games and tutored on weekends for free to better their futures. She is still in touch with many of them. I should know,I taught with her and her committment was and is obvious. Jealous much? Voting against shortening meetings? I don’t think so. Nora, Patti and Donna study every nuance so nothing gets passed. Afraid of a little investigation? Jeff? Maurice? Try again!
March 1st, 2014 at 6:12 pm
She appears to dislike fundraising as much as being in the classroom. An incumbent SB member who has had her campaign account open for almost 14 month and can’t raise more than $10,900. Your girl Jussvic should throw you some real money from her consulting gig with the district. I will admit others talk more than Nora but no one whines, cries and screeches more than Nora.
March 2nd, 2014 at 1:20 am
You’re up late Jeff, er , HaHa. Worried that someone like Rupert, Korn or Good will ask how long a task assignment should last via policy? You and Shelly should definitely not buy green bananas. Fundraising, lets see LRL $9000, Murray. $7000, Korn $0 all incumbents what’s your point? Never seen Nora cry on the dais, or screetch, thats Abby , have seen you squirm during questioning from the Board. And has anyone noticed the voting has not been 7-1 been a lot of 4-4 ties and 8-0 after amendments were made by Patti, Donna and Nora . And oh surprise your newest boss is a parent advocate and reading teacher, sound familiar! Probably don’t want to mention the leaving the classroom thing just yet. Wait for the new Org chart!
March 2nd, 2014 at 7:27 am
Really??? Nora is the best School Board member we have ever had. She follows through and is a REAL person unlike many others. Stop the hating and open your eyes!
March 2nd, 2014 at 10:39 am
Nora is so disliked by her fellow members she got passed over for Vice Chair. She does everything to show up Runcie. Correct me if I am wrong, but how can those of us in her District expect results when she has alienated herself from her fellow board members and superintendent? It appears she has no chance of getting 4 votes to support her on anything. Look at her contributions, very little, that shows she has no one willing to put money on the line to help her win.
Someone needs to step up and run against her.
March 2nd, 2014 at 12:19 pm
Please Becky!
March 2nd, 2014 at 3:25 pm
Jeff shouldn’t you be working over time to try and hide the $900,000 change order coming to the Board soon? You don ‘t live in Pompano come out in the sunshine and show yourself! What is happening with all the extra money being put into Facilities to bring bldgs up to code without telling Board? What about increased bus accidents and downtime due to retreads? We can do this all day I am in her district, we are many. Teachers, bus drivers, community members, students and we appreciate the freshness she brings to focus on students. Ofcourse you want someone to run against her, someone to do your bidding. Not going to happen in District 7, Chief of Laugh!
March 2nd, 2014 at 9:22 pm
Great Stuff Buddy. Same is true everywhere in local government. Problem is different at the state level…where meetings could be held using technology (video-conferencing, etc.)….but they STILL spend countless dollars and thousands of hours schlepping people across the state….usually to Tallahassee to accommodate the paid government employees…..while inconveniencing the volunteer “civilians”
Seth
March 3rd, 2014 at 9:34 am
Oh come on now, Jeffy, the Bobs, and, I have this under control!
Just get us a billion so we can continue the charade!
March 4th, 2014 at 5:57 pm
Nora CAN and WILL win again! Pompano Resident you have NO clue.