CollierCountyBlog

JUSTICE FOR CHILDREN

2009-06-25T08:37:00.001-07:00

JUSTICE FOR CHILDREN

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And the Beat "Down" Goes On

2009-01-15T15:57:00.000-08:00

http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2009/jan/14/two-collier-school-board-members-may-have-put-accr/

It's been 21 months since the Collier County School Board was placed on warning status with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools; before the Hinshaw & Culbertson report and before the firing of Ray Baker.

Now we are witnessing the blame game...This board member blames that board member. What a shame. If they had spent the past 21 months actually doing what was recommended we wouldn't be in this position and thousands of kids wouldn't be facing the loss of scholarships. I fear they have done way too little - way too late.

The Naples Snooze is quick to blame Curatolo and Calabrese when in actuality it is their own lack of reporting that is more to blame. Curatolo has done more to try and inform the public and address this situation than any other board member, Carroll included. Calabrese just picked the wrong friends and when he realized just how much trouble his friends could get him into...he had a heart attack.

For months I begged the NDN staff to cover this issue. Instead they chose to sensationalize a report created by "friends of Abbott" and completely ignored the seriousness of the situation. Blame should also go to the parents who should have shown up in record numbers to demand accountability - even before Baker was fired. It's even more unfortunate our own Governor has chosen to ignore the situation as well. He has been too busy honeymooning and selling off Florida's' assets.

I have heard from professionals and education advocates from around the globe on this specific issue. Many people are watching, not just SACS. How close are we to loosing accreditation? VERY close. What will be the ramifications? SERIOUS. Could Malfeasance of Office charges be forthcoming? You Betcha!

The Smoking Gun!

2008-09-22T05:02:00.000-07:00

While the school employees, board members, parents and the community pick sides - a large festering issues remains...School Board ByLaws.

Mr Donovan has entered into two contracts representing CCPS which will certainly come back to "byte" our community.

Neola, Inc.
http://www.bytemeworld.com/docs/NEOLA%20Contract.pdf

Do yourself a favor community members and READ the new Bylaws - afterall you paid nearly $70,000 for them and are also paying to have them hosted on an external website.

The 2nd...the Ultimate Super - read it and weep!
http://wftx.images.worldnow.com/images/incoming/pdf/superintendent%20contract.pdf

Hate to say "I told you so"

2008-09-21T07:49:00.000-07:00

The outsourcing of custodial staff is no surprise. It has been in the cards for a long time. I myself have been writing about it since August of 2007.

The outpouring of emotions comes from a sense of loss for our long held community spirit. The idea you could work for a business over tens years and then one day be compelled to take a nearly 50% pay cut and lose all benefits just seems wrong. It goes against the basic “cracker” creed; work hard and you will be rewarded.

FYI - GCA Services janitors typically earn $5.30 an hour with no benefits. Most janitors are employed part-time and weekly pay averages about $106. GCA Services Group was founded in 2003 by investors and private equity firms. Their rapid rise to the top is do in part to buying up independent cleaning businesses. Today, five years later, their revenues exceed $450 million dollars.

I feel compelled to make a few comments regarding this decision.

#1 – For all the union bashers…careful what you wish for.

Many GCA Services employees belong to the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) – the Nation’s largest labor union with membership of about 1.8 million nationwide.

SEIU is involved in labor disputes with GCA Services in several States, including a highly publicized campaign in Houston, TX.

GCA employees have been on strike in many States over the past year

SEIU is actively campaigning in all right to work States, including Florida.

As always, documentation available at http://www.bytemeworld.com/schoolboard.htm

#2 – In defense of the Custodial Staff

Many of the individuals affected have been a familiar face to teachers and parents. In fact, they often are the ONLY familiar face. Many of the long term residents have seen the teachers and staff come and go in record numbers, but the janitor was always there – year after year…many for 10-20 years.

I actually attended one of the candlelight vigils. When one of the speakers went to address the crowd, they began with – I don’t speak Spanish…the resounding cry from the custodians, SPEAK ENGLISH, WE UNDERSTAND. Most do speak English, but when facing the loss of their livelihood revert to Spanish. Chances are pretty good new custodians from GCA will not be proficient in English either. I suggest if you have a problem with this please pick up the phone and call Literacy Volunteers of Collier County and volunteer to teach English.

#3 – If Rockford, IL is any indication…media personnel should be saving their money. The rest of you CCPS employees…better get that medical problem taken care of before the new insurance kicks in.

#4 – This really has nothing to do with anything, I just found it interesting…
GCA contract replaces cleaners with robots
Portland, OR-based facility services contractor GCA Services Group™ will integrate robotic scrubbers into maintenance programs, and has signed a national purchasing agreement with Intellibot™ Robotics, LLC.
Intellibot CEO Henry L. Hillman Jr. said autonomous floor scrubbers reduce labor costs by up to 85 percent, since no operator is involved.
http://www.cmmonline.com/article.asp?IndexID=6635765

He Said She Said - Who Cares?!

2008-09-16T09:02:00.000-07:00

http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2008/sep/16/state-attorneys-office-no-evidence-collier-school-/

According to my correspondence, the local State Attorney's office has no jurisdiction over this. So why are they still investigating and why the nasty comments?

Mon. 8/6/2007 11:48am

Dear XXXXXX,

The Office of the Chief Inspector General received a copy of your August 5, 2007 email.

I see that you are also copying the Commissioner of Education. By communicating with the Department of Education (DOE), you are contacting the appropriate state agency that may have jurisdiction over your concerns. We will refer this additional correspondence to the DOE Inspector General for review and action deemed appropriate for any issues that may fall under that office's jurisdiction. According to the DOE website, that office may be reached directly by email at John.Franco@fldoe.org.

Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. In the event that you have any further questions, please contact the Inspector General's office for the Department of Education directly at (850) 245-0403.

Sincerely,

Heidi Huelskoetter
Investigations Manager
Office of the Chief Inspector General

It's interesting to note the final sentence in this "memo."
"While any private party may have the right to file a lawsuit in court, such action does not in itself affect our review of the merits, or lack thereof, of a potential criminal investigation or prosecution."

Another lesson for Collier citizens...CYA - Cover your a** which Russell just did with this memo.

Do yourself a favor Collier and actually read it - they only cover what has already been released as part of the deposition.

This memo means nothing in the grand scheme of things and is just another example of the NDN creating spin where there is none.

The Future of Collier Public Schools

2008-09-15T17:04:00.000-07:00

http://www.11alive.com/video/default.aspx?aid=98542

We can only hope Gov. Crist provides the same quick action as Gov. Perdue who immediately removed 4 school board members and called on the new board to address SACS concerns regarding the "transfer of power" from elected board to an appointed Superintendent.

Collier County has been on warning status since April of 2007.

At a time when all parties involved, from stakeholders to staff, should be working together to accomplish this goal - Superintendent Thompson seems determined to split us apart. From the schedule changes to the custodians, he just keeps drawing a line in the sand.

There is no reason for rash decisions. The only thing the School Board and Dr. Thompson should be focused on is securing accreditation. After 16 months they still haven't done so. If they were responsible they would be gathering support for this Novembers' ballot to move funds to provide temporary budget relief. All votes or discussions that even hint of divide and conquer should be tabled until accreditation is secured.

Should we lose accreditation there will be many parties with pie on their face, if the gators don't get them first.

Collier County - You've Been Punked!

2008-09-11T21:40:00.000-07:00

Not sure why I can’t let this go. Maybe it’s the thousands of students who won’t be able to attend college, get scholarships or military appointments. Maybe it’s the loss of federal grants and programs to the district. Maybe it’s the loss of dedicated teachers and staff.

Here’s the bottom line…The Collier County School Board received a FAILING grade on a report issued in April of 2007 from the Region Accreditation Association (SACS.) One of the chief criticisms was the micro-managing of the district by the school board. Essentially the report indicated the voting majority of the School Board was inhibiting the success of the district by not working WITH the superintendent to accomplish goals. The report gave the Superintendent, teachers, and staff a PASSING grade.

Now here comes the Bait and Switch…
Certain School Board members got miffed and decided to create an inflammatory report to redirect blame to the Superintendent. They ensured the report received extensive media coverage and the SACS report was buried.

Follow the bouncing ball folks...Board gets bad report card...floods media with inflammatory report to throw them off from the real one...stomps their feet and cries foul until we (the citizens) let Mommy (Dr. Thompson) come in and change their grade.

Problem is, certain Board members didn’t do their homework and relied on the flawed advice of alleged “community” members with an agenda who had been jockeying for their cause in CCPS for over a decade.

First lesson for living in FL, especially Collier, “Choose your friends wisely.”

Are you ready to be punked? The SACS committee really doesn’t care who is super, who is on the board, etc…they care about what gets done…including the board working WITH the super…even though it’s not the same super reviewed in the report.

If you think firing Thompson is the answer, better take a look at his contract. Even if he is relieved as super…we have to employ him somewhere else at the same salary.

http://wftx.images.worldnow.com/images/incoming/pdf/superintendent%20contract.pdf

In Bytemeworld he would be demoted to custodial staff – it would be the best $240k + this district ever spent!

On the upside, Donovan promised in the NDN to resign if we lost SACS accreditation.

Teamsters Call Shenaningans!

2008-09-08T12:46:00.000-07:00

The Teamsters are filing a lawsuit against certain Collier County School Board members as reported in the Naples Snooze...

http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2008/sep/08/collier-bus-driver-teamsters-file-suit-against-thr/

It would seem they are taking a page from Clayton County, GA's playbook. Several parents there filed a similar suit here is what happened next...

From 11Alive News - Atlanta, GA
http://www.11alive.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=120397&catid=8

"Meanwhile, Judge Michael Malihi has ruled that four Clayton County board members should be removed for violating their oaths of office. Governor Perdue had asked the judge to look into complaints against Michelle Strong, Sandra Scott, Lois Baines-Hunter, and Yolanda Everett. All four were declared guilty of violating the state's open meetings law, violating the board's code of ethics, and breaking the public trust."

"Thursday, Perdue issued an executive order ousting four members of the school board. Special elections will be held in November to replace Scott and Strong, while Baines-Hunter and Everett will be barred from running again -- they were up for election this year. "

For those of you wondering why Baker settled without bringing the facts into the Sunshine...it was simply because he was given a deal too good to pass up. The School Board released him for any and all liability in future lawsuits...and there are some really big ones coming up!

Can it Happen Here?...Yes it CAN!

2008-08-29T05:48:00.000-07:00

"A Georgia school district lost its accreditation Thursday, an unusual move blamed in part on what has been called a "dysfunctional" school board."

Sound Familiar Collier County?

School Board is GA losses SACS accreditation and the future of their students... Is Collier Next?

Group: Troubled Ga. district loses accreditation from Associated Press

Have a Cheeseburger and Save Accreditation?

2008-08-23T10:22:00.000-07:00

There is a youtube video regarding CCPS with over 900 views.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZXXwI0RWyY

There is another with over 500 channel views.
http://www.youtube.com/teamstermancollier

Yet, the Naples Daily News wrote about one with just over 400 views and extremely inflamatory towards Kathleen Curatolo. Interesting.

For the record, Ms. Curatolo is the only Board member who has done ANYTHING remotely productive toward securing accreditation.

If there is any hope to keep accreditation, it is with Curatolo and Sprague/Paterno.

Vote Curatolo and Sprague - replace Calabrese with Paterno - oh what a wonderful CCPS world it would be!

Collier County School Board.

2008-07-26T06:32:00.000-07:00

Some quick facts regarding SACS Accreditation

SACS stands for Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, the accreditation body for the Southern United States. Collier County is facing the loss of this prestigious designation due to the School Boards’ actions. They have been given multiple opportunities to improve and just received another 6 months. It may be the last opportunity for the community to react. The situation has been exasperated by the lack of media coverage in the local paper.

Collier has been on warning status since last year. The School Board first received the report in April of 2007 prior to the Ray Baker firing and prior to the Hinshaw and Culbertson report. The SACS team has been monitoring the situation looking for improvement from the board since that time.

Should district accreditation be revoked, all individual public schools will lose accreditation as well. It will be FIVE years before we can reapply. Collier County schools have maintained their accreditation since the 1950’s.

Graduating from a school district without accreditation will render the diploma virtually useless. Graduating Seniors in Collier County would NOT BE ELIGIBLE for most scholarships and NOT ELIGIBLE for admittance into many Universities, military academies and a variety of other opportunities.

You WILL SEE your property values decline significantly as a result. Families will flock out of Collier, so will Teachers.

I feel so blessed to NOT be a part of this School System while it crashes and burns.

Dr. Dennis Thompson Collier County School Board Researchers

2008-07-24T21:03:00.001-07:00

If you are researching the Collier County School Board or Dr. Dennis Thompson...additional information can be found at http://bytemeworld.com/schoolboard.htm

6 months and counting until SACS returns...good luck Collier parents, you are going to need it!!!!

School Boards Gone Wild

2008-06-16T16:10:00.000-07:00

This is the story of a small town nestled among the palm trees of South Florida, lined with multi-million dollar homes and exotic cars. A view from afar might suggest such wealth would value education and strive to provide exceptional opportunities for both their students and their teachers. They began with the best intentions. They operated relatively successfully for years and even managed to retain one Superintendent for over 12 years.

He was not without controversy and often found it difficult to garner support. There was the nepotism with husband/wife teams along with close relatives making staff meetings more like family reunions. Locals were shut out of the hiring process. There was the top heavy management with “non-instructional” personnel nearly outnumbering teachers. There was lost opportunities as the district failed to apply for millions in State funds earmarked for site-based management and magnet schools. There were the lost grant funds for nurses and the deliberate blocking of cultural diversity training for teachers when flyers announcing the in-service training were intercepted. Then there was the criticism during a hiring freeze that saw the school system spending $30,000 on recruitment for non-existent jobs. Then there were the personal stories like the story of the academically gifted young girl who published a popular newsletter questioning the administration. She was suspended and eventually dropped out of school altogether as a result of the incident and subsequent retaliation.

There was the story that began a decade earlier by a school board member who acted as a trustee for a large piece of land in the Northern part of the County. Although he wasn’t paid to act as the trustee, he still was entitled to collect real estate commissions upon the sale. He thought he had it sold, but the buyer defaulted and he never collected his commission. Suddenly, the school board felt the burning need to have property in this area. The property had been appraised a couple of times. The deal was made and the school board paid the highest appraised price. The school board member finally received his sizeable commission. The community cried conflict of interest, but their pleas fell on deaf ears.

Faced with decreased funding from the State, the school board turned to the teachers and the public for advice. They gave it in a resounding plea for a reduction in administration. The school board requested specifics. The public named names. The multitude of “Assistants to the Superintendent” had to go and were shifted to new positions at lower pay. Nobody told payroll and it was nearly a year before any savings were realized. There was the racial slur that spurned the updating of anti-discrimination policies. Sexual orientation and pregnancy were left out of the policy despite overwhelming testimony from parents and teachers to include protection for those groups. Ultimately, there was the perception of an excessive retirement package when the long time Superintendent finally bid his farewell.

What followed was a rapid succession of Superintendents. One came highly regarded as a professional educator. He was shorted lived and coined the locally infamous phrase to describe the situation proclaiming the town was full of C.A.V.E. people, Citizens Against Virtually Everything. The search was on for a new Superintendent. Many highly qualified educators applied for a chance to live in the beautiful town with exceptionally landscaped medians and pristine beach front mansions.

One in particular was touted as being the next savior. Two board members lobbied heavily for his hiring. For the purposes of this article, we’ll call those board members Dick and Jane. Despite Dick and Jane’s pleas the school board passed over their candidate. For the purposes of this article we will call this Superintendent candidate Spot. Spot never taught in a public school classroom and didn’t have a doctorate degree. In fact, his experience was very limited and mostly military based. The highly qualified candidate the school board nearly decided on must have seen the writing on the wall and backed out. In her place, a local up through the ranks Superintendent was given the position. Dick and Jane never got over the snub.

Despite warnings from State officials, education advocates, and numerous graduate student research papers the school board continued to waive impact fees and refused discussion of what would eventually be a big problem when the double digit growth of the area subsided. They mortgaged the future of the school district and built enormous new schools filled with technology and IP phones. They gave themselves hefty raises and retirement benefits.

They even found money to build a state of the art headquarters complete with high-tech board chambers to hold their meetings. The screams from the public to stop the extravagant expenditure were deafening, especially with the school board. They simply refused to address the publics concern. Soon the building was gleaming with marble and dubbed Taj Mahal, a monument to the egos that resided there.

All proceeded until Dick got himself into some trouble. Turns out he loved the children, especially the young boys. Armed with testimony from 30 former male students as well as notes and email the FBI had some questions. Parent and teacher complaints were well documented through the years. Dick often pulled young boys out of class without warning or explanations incensing teachers. Complaints about school board members’ access to the classrooms, students and teachers was the fodder of much public discourse. Rumors of intimidation of teachers by school board members were rampant. If the school board members had no direct knowledge, they should have at least had a suspicion. The Statue of Limitations prevented criminal charges in many instances, but some of those former students sought justice in monetary terms. They proceeded to sue Dick and other members of the School Board including Jane, claiming they did have knowledge of the abuse.

The School Board decided it needed an attorney, but knew they couldn’t afford one. They decided the best way to handle the situation was to fire the only grant writer on staff and hire a full-time attorney. They didn’t hire just any attorney. They found one who understood controversy and whose association with the hate group League of the South had dominated local headlines in the district he previously worked for.

Dick shot himself in the head at a popular playground. In an ominous gesture, he blamed the local newspaper in the note he left behind. He was a lawyer, so his assets were well protected. Lawsuits are still pending, but criminal investigations have been dropped as a result of his suicide. If you would like to see his portrait, it still remains hanging prominently on the wall in the extravagant school board building. His legacy became the school board attorney he left behind.

Somewhere along their path the school board found additional income streams renting the school facilities to local churches on the weekends. Church goers can often be seen canvassing the neighborhoods with brochures and business cards touting their prime school locations. The Christian Coalition hands out bibles during lunch periods at high schools drawing the attention of the ACLU. Phyllis Schlafly provides free tickets to local students for her yearly Eagle Forum speech.

That brings us to the story of the mooning senior student whose choice of thong underwear proved his only salvation against an arrest record when he let it all hang out as MC for an evening theatre event. The audience found it funny; the school boards’ attorney did not. His infamous quote made eyebrows raise, “In south Georgia, they’d have taken him outside and hung him from the nearest tree.” He also indicated the student was lucky he wasn’t arrested and branded as a sex offender. What followed was months of courtroom drama as the parents tried to keep their honor student son out of severe alternative programs and in school.

Soon another controversy arose regarding honors credits and class rank. At one high school class rank determined your parking space in the student lot. A student transferred into the high school as a senior from out of zone and upset the pecking order in the parking lot. Soon a group of parents were questioning AP pairings and class rank. Years before, in an attempt to create a more conducive learning experience, the school board had approved such pairings. The idea was to give students a better chance at passing the stringent AP exam with a grade high enough to be awarded college credit. Acting on the rage and influence of a handful of parents and students at one school, the School Board commissioned a report by an independent law firm.

One of those parents was a business partner of Jane and a former candidate for school board herself. In her withdrawal speech she blamed the “edufads” that bullied teachers into “teaching diversity and multiculturalism.” She goes on to blame outcome based education and the Clinton administration for the moral degradation of public schools. “The concept of homosexuality must be tolerated yet God may not be recognized!” She professed.

It was a busy time for the school board as another report was already complete and the grades were in. The school system had passed, but the school board had failed. The other report was from the well respected Southern Association of Colleges and Schools accreditation team. Proudly, all of the County’s public schools had achieved accreditation making them eligible for District Accreditation. This report had no problem with the teachers or the Superintendent. Their issue was with the School Board. In this report they commended the teachers and Superintendent for being able to accomplish so much considering the behavior of the School Board. The district was placed on warning status. The school board needed reform or the district would lose district accreditation and with it accreditation at all the individual schools.

The school board wasn’t very happy with their report card. Seeing the group of raving parents before them demanding action provided the perfect opportunity for Jane and her friends. The parents wanted an investigation and Jane knew just the person to call. They didn’t hire just any law firm. They hired Spot’s law firm. Spot had since run off to get his doctorate and landed a job as a Superintendent. His law firm had made their name litigating the longest running desegregation case in US history giving them something in common with the school board attorney. Despite the fact that without accreditation students would not qualify for State scholarships or admittance into State colleges and most universities - the school board tucked away the accreditation report. Jane and her friends ignored anyone who questioned it.

Meanwhile, the law firm interviewed a few people at the school and produced an inflammatory report claiming credits were given for water sports and washing towels. They attacked the awarding winning State virtual school whose jurisdiction comes under the State Department of Education. Their claims were based on 12-15 individual interviews. They weren’t sure exactly how many people they interviewed. They didn’t look at records County wide and their report had very little factual information. The water sports student had the credit transferred from another school district. The towel washer was actually a sports management class and required a number of written assignments to document it. It just so happens the student was a team manager as well so yes, he did wash towels, but not for credit.

Jane then had a divine idea. Why stop at a law firm? Why not spin the report? Why not get the Superintendent fired? Why not hire her first choice from years ago, Spot? After all, Dick thought he was a savior. One of Jane’s good friends could help her out at the newspaper. Suddenly the headlines all proclaimed students getting credit for washing towels. Jane didn’t stop there. With all this momentum it was the perfect time to orchestrate her plan and she had plenty of help and support.

After what would go down in local history as the longest School Board meeting on record with over 9 hours of heated discussions and two separate votes, the Superintendent was fired. The second vote came after a break where many thought the meeting was over and woke the next morning to find it lasted another two hours.

Quickly the discussion turned to who would serve in the prestigious position while a new Superintendent was “found.” Another former, twice failed school board candidates’ name came up. He was also friends with Jane’s friend. They often emailed each other and board members with personnel suggestions for the district. One of their suggestions for a principal position had recently traveled to Spots hometown to talk to him about a new job that might be opening up. But those plans backfired when State statue required the candidate to reside within the County. They tried for highly controversial administrator who was a “double dipper.” This is a former employee who retires and then is hired back because of the inability to fill the position. They are placed in what is referred to as a DROP program so they earn retirement pay and a pay check as well. But this person also did not reside in the County. Disappointed, Jane and her friends had to resort to the only choice left, the Assistant Superintendent. He was a long time respected educator in the County and a Harvard graduate.

The next day the newspapers in Spots’ current district were announcing he was planning on taking a job in beautiful Florida. A school board member from the struggling district responded to the article with, “wow, that School Board make us look good!” Despite outrage from the Chamber of Commerce, business leaders and the community, he was soon on board as the new Superintendent at a salary higher than the Governor of the State. No other candidates were considered. The months that followed brought accusations of disclosure laws broken, secret dealings, and political agendas. The former Superintendent sued for unlawful firing and settled with the school board out of court leaving the community in the dark about what really happened.

They didn’t just hire any Superintendent. They hired a Superintendent with virtually no experience and what little he did have was immersed in controversy. In just three short years as a Superintendent he had managed negative press in the New York Times as well as many other National publications from conservative to liberal. His competitive performance rating as a Superintendent provided by the State was “Below Average” to “Inferior.” He had only worked in two school districts and one was under Federal Corrective Action. His experience in the K12 arena included one year as a middle school guidance counselor and a couple of years as a curriculum specialist before catapulting to the status of Superintendent. He had friends too and they went with him from district to district gaining them the nickname in the press of, “the traveling Superintendent circus.”

The protests and controversy followed him to sunny Florida along with all his friends. There were student sit-ins and a teacher “work to rule” stance that continues to this day. The parents were in arms over schedule changes and veteran teachers nearing retirement were unceremoniously dismissed. Spot held the transcripts of graduating Seniors delaying college admissions and prompting lawsuits. Pay negotiations with the teachers’ union failed. Administrators received contract extensions and raises, while teachers fought for their step increase. While no money was available for teacher raises, there was more than enough for Spot to hire more friends from his former district because, as he claimed, his challenge was to “find the right cultural fit.” Meanwhile, the district was still in warning status in regards to accreditation.

The year brought numerous abuse charges and sex scandals, including a lawsuit by a fourteen year old girl who two school bus drivers molested and videotaped the encounters. The suit claims the School Board had knowledge of it and refused to act. It seems the school bus drivers were signing her out of class despite the objections of school employees. The school boards attorney called the teen “promiscuous” and a willing participant in having sex. The tapes also include the couple sexually abusing a three year old toddler.

School Board members themselves have not been exempt. One member has come under criticism for sexual harassment including kissing a news reporter on her bare shoulder following a meeting. He then asked her for a kiss on the lips. When she refused he requested she, “Kiss his ring” instead. Soon other employees of the district came forward claiming sexual harassment by the school board member.

Numerous lawsuits engulfed the district including ongoing actions brought by ESE parents and students that drew the attention of the US Office of Civil Rights. There was the story of the young boy and his service dog denied access to a classroom. There were stories of improper storage of medicines and lack of nurse support. Bullying and intimidation of students and parents was commonplace. They counted on parents giving up knowing the limited time frame for securing education for their children. The district had over a dozen “at risk” programs, but no formal gifted education. Exceptional Student Education included gifted students as well. Despite recommendations from numerous audits, Spot decided he should just gut the whole program slashing the budget and firing half of the ESE specialist because the district could no longer afford them.

Looking for an easy way to cut more from the budget, Spots next plan of action included outsourcing the janitorial services. To start the ball rolling he went to his friends at his old district. After months of building tours and inside information he sprung his plan on the public - fire the 250 longtime employees and hire his friends company. They can save us money, they said so.

The plan didn’t set very well with the Teamsters who represented the janitorial staff. They immediately found several instances of sexual predators entering schools in cleaning crews from this company. The school board, Superintendent and the local newspaper all cried foul play. To bring up a few instances was not fair, the school system they explained, would ultimately be responsible for background checks and they were putting it out to bid. What they failed to inform the public was recent changes in laws that provided exemptions for non-instructional employees. Fingerprinting is required for school employees, but not necessarily contract workers. The lack of fingerprinting disguised the true identity of sexual predators in the cases the Teamsters found. What does a sexual predator need? Opportunity. It would seem they are finding plenty of opportunity in this district.

Not all was doom and gloom for the district. While State budget cuts were severe and many local programs were being cut, they did find money for new computers and technology, even though the teachers said what they have is fine. The School Board chambers are state of the art and flat screen TV’s are commonplace. They found the money neccessary to install bullet proofing in the School Board Chambers. There was even money for artificial turf for the high school football fields. The school boards explanation for the spending spree, “it comes from a different fund, the capital fund.” Only when a parent pushed the matter did they concede a voter referendum could move the pot of gold – that is, what was left.

UPDATED - The school board finally secured accreditation after being placed on a warning status for over a year. The janitorial contract bid was answered by 6 companies and was finally awarded to Spots friends' company. The referendum passed, but the money wasn't used to come into compliance with State and voter mandated class size limits - instead they agreed to pay an enormous fine. Teacher cleansing is standard operating procedure. The Assistant Superintendent (an 11 year employee of the district and highly educated at top institutions) accepted a position as a Superintendent elsewhere. He was highly successful at his new job leaving many in the community pondering what could have been. Meanwhile - Spots' contract was not renewed. He is currently suing the School District for additional pay and benefits.

It takes a village to demand accountability and reform. Unfortunately, this wealthy South Florida town has a prevalent “let them eat cake” mentality. Nearly half of the public school student body is on reduced or free lunch. Those who do speak out are quickly silenced. Many are just too tired to continue trying to reform a system that has been broken for nearly two decades. What does a grassroots effort need to flourish? A free press. Without a news outlet to turn to the variety of efforts taken on in small scale soon wilted. Without the activism of the community they are forced to repeat their mistakes. The public school system has been abandoned by the community it attempted to serve, but the private schools and home schooling programs are thriving.

Grassroots efforts in other communities have been successful in reigning in the absolute power school boards and Superintendents have instilled themselves with. Just recently Spots’ mentor, the Superintendent who elevated him from school counselor to curriculum specialist, was forced to resign after an audit found a “climate of fear” in his management of the district. There was also a school system in California who was successful in getting indictments against school board members who spent lavishly on school administration offices.

A School Superintendent is one of the highest paid migratory jobs in the US right now. Typically Superintendents last only three years on a job and pull in top salaries. Political agendas and egos are now the driving forces in education in America. Slowly State legislators are beginning to see the necessity in limiting the power of local school boards and requiring minimum education requirements including requirements for Superintendents. Florida just enacted legislation to limit the salary of school board members. Arkansas requires 9 hours of training for new school board members and Mississippi requires increased training for members in failing districts or with serious financial problems.

If you are reading this I encourage you to write to your legislators and ask them to support school board reform legislation to mandate training and set minimum requirements for both board members and Superintendents. It is time to demand the same accountability from our school administrators as we do from our teachers.

Letter to SACS and Others

2008-05-23T09:41:00.000-07:00

Dr. Lucy Hayden
SACS Team Chair
15 Magnolia Dr.
Newnan, GA 30263

Dear Dr. Hayden;

The Florida Department of Education has made great strides evidenced by their rapid climb to number 14 in state rankings as reported recently in Education Week. One of the areas highly profiled was accountability in respect to both student achievement and the teaching profession. Florida earned high marks in comparison to other states and is continually raising the bar.

It has been one year since the SACS committee made their initial report to the Collier County School Board. During that year the CCPS system has remained under siege. The community is witnessing: volatile school board meetings; an ongoing parade of organized protests from parents, teachers, students and now maintenance workers; lawsuits involving wrongful terminations of teachers and a Superintendent; scandals involving sexual harassment by School Board members; a lawsuit initiated by former student claiming inaction by the Board in a sexual abuse case; a lawsuit to compel CCPS to release transcripts to colleges; teachers’ “working to rule;” gutting of the ESE program and related lawsuits; cutting of local revered teachers and principals while numerous positions (and possible outside contracts) are being staffed from the new Superintendents’ former school district in Rockford, IL; and a racial discrimination lawsuit; to name a few!

The past year the School Board has shown little to no indication of “leadership and governance.” The five member Collier County School Board has been embroiled in controversy and split ideology for some time. The incident involving the abrupt firing of a 34 year School District veteran over the explosive Hinshaw and Culbertson report left the community and school system in chaos. Despite pleas from community leaders, the Chamber of Commerce and numerous local professional organizations the School Board forged ahead with the immediate hiring of his replacement under suspicious circumstances The School Board and the Superintendent(s) have consistently alienated the stakeholders, teachers, parents and students. There are persistent rumors of intimidation tactics being used and the cleansing of our educational staff and even the student body. Fear is now the motivator. Many parents are leaving the district or removing their children due to a complete lack of confidence in the School Board.

In August I emailed the SACS committee regarding my concerns over an effort to discredit the SACS report in favor of the Hinshaw and Culbertson report. It would appear that effort succeeded as there has been little to no coverage of the accreditation issue. My initial attempts to write letters to the editor of the local newspaper were blocked and all my blog entries were deleted from their site. Such censorship has resulted in a number of independent blogs, petitions, websites and even parodies of CCPS among frustrated citizens including myself. Many in the community are still unaware of the accreditation issue. There is an air of secrecy and back room politics, most recently with outsourcing plans.

The chain of events over the last year has resulted in extreme animosity among the community and the school system itself. The situation has deteriorated to the point of dysfunction. The very idea that CCPS could lose accreditation due to the School Boards inability to govern is reprehensible. I find it devastating that adults are responsible and feel they should be held accountable. We hold our teachers accountable in the classroom. We should expect the same accountability from the board members and the administrators we entrust those classrooms to.
I regretfully believe the only circumstance in which the Collier County School System deserves accreditation is under the guidance of Governor Charlie Crist. I believe your initial evaluation was correct; many in the school system should be “commended for striving to maintain a committed focus on achieving the district’s vision and goals within this environment.” I feel the teachers and students are well deserving of accreditation, but the school board is not.
Due to the political structure of Collier County, I honestly feel the only solution will come from the Office of the Governor. Only under the direction and watchful eye of State Officials and experienced Educational Professionals will the School Board and Superintendent be held accountable. Only with intervention can Collier County raise the bar to the level the Florida Department of Education has set. It is unfortunate the School Board has placed Collier County public school students in this position. They certainly do not deserve it.

Sincerely,

XXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXX
Naples, FL XXXXX
XXX-XXX-XXXX
Collier County registered voter
School Board voting District X

1] Hinshaw & Culbertson Report
http://www.naplesnews.com/media/pdf/2007/07/ccps-final.pdf

District response to Hinshaw & Culbertson Report
http://collier.k12.fl.us/TClarification.pdf

SACS Report http://www.collier.k12.fl.us/board/meetings/public/May%2017,%202007%20-%20Regular%20Board%20Meeting%20on%20Thursday,%20May%2017,%202007/SACSAccredRpt.pdf

cc:

Accreditation Team

c/o Traci Dami

School District of Collier County

5775 Osceola Trail

Naples 34109

Mark A. Elgart, Ed.D.

President/CEO

AdvancED

1866 Southern Lane

Decatur, GA 30033

John Franco

Florida Department of Education

Office of the Inspector General

325 West Gaines Street, Suite 1201

Tallahassee, FL 32399-0400

Dr. Eric J. Smith

Florida Department of Education

Office of the Commissioner

Turlington Building, Suite 1514

325 West Gaines Street

Tallahassee, FL 32399

Office of Governor Charlie Crist

State of Florida

The Capitol

400 S. Monroe St.

Tallahassee, FL 32399-0001

What Would the Flying Spaghetti Monster Do?

2007-11-18T09:51:00.000-08:00

Background: I just had to do this for fun. It came about as the Collier School Board debated for the millionth time...prayer before a school board meeting. This debate took considerable time when the board faced numerous urgent issues.

http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2007/nov/15/school_board_continue_allowing_outsiders_give_meet/

November 18, 2007

Dear Mr. Donovan;

It is commendable you have worked so hard to ensure the invocation for the Collier County School Board is not divisive. After reading your comments in the Naples Daily News regarding bringing different faiths to the podium, I’m confident you will be all inclusive and not deny any religious preferences from participating.

That in mind, I respectively request an invocation representing the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Worshipers, also known as Pastafarians, were blessed with the Prophet Bobby in 2005 whose wisdom brought Flying Spaghetti Monsterism out from the shadows and into the mainstream. Two short years later the religious movement has experienced unprecedented growth. Flying Spaghetti Monsterism has been featured in many National publications and news programs including the New York Times and CNN. Just recently Flying Spaghetti Monterism was included on the agenda at the American Academy of Religion’s annual meeting.

I was so pleased to read you would never deny a rabbi from saying “Yahweh.” You see, the invocation by a Pastafarian Preacher must be performed while wearing His chosen outfit. It is considered very disrespectful to teach their beliefs without the outfit of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, which is full pirate regalia.

The Flying Spaghetti Monster is capable of amazing feats. According to followers He created the universe and can change it at any time. He is invisible and can pass through normal matter with ease. By permitting the blessing of the Flying Spaghetti Monster at a School Board Meeting you can have faith His Noodly Appendage will help to further any cause you wish to advance.

While there are never any guarantees for a miracle, a prayer by a Pastafarian Preacher representing Flying Spaghetti Monsterism might just turn out to be the divine intervention needed to secure the prestigious Southern Association of Colleges and Schools accreditation as a Quality School District for Collier County .

Should you have any questions regarding the legitimacy of this religion I encourage you to Google it…over 2 million results have been returned.

For additional information - http://www.venganza.org/

Talkin bout a Revolution

2007-09-01T09:47:00.000-07:00

Background: I was moved to write this letter after a local student was suspended for wearing a coat and tie to school. The newspaper declined to publish it although I received a very nasty email from the opinion editor. He is another good friend of the school board member mentioned above.

http://naplesnews.com/news/2007/aug/23/golden_gate_high_school_student_gets_school_suspen/

September 1, 2007

Another Editorial You Won't be Reading in the Naples Daily News

Dear Editor;

Now that the Baker vs. Thompson feud has been settled by the School Board, it’s time to look forward toward improvement. What a wonderful time it would be to involve the students in the process by giving them representation on the School Board. After all, with the number of AP tests they are passing, many have more college education then some sitting School Board members earning $36,000 a year for the privilege.

The School Board is preparing for Board Policy workshops. The ability of the School Board to complete a “comprehensive and thorough review of its policies and operations” will determine the prestigious District Accreditation as a Quality School System from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and the Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS CASI.) The accreditation team will be returning in the Fall to see if the School Board responded “adequately and effectively” to their recommendations.

The School Board has contracted Neola, Inc. to facilitate these workshops. They have come under scrutiny from various organizations including the Student Press Law Center and many open record law advocates. Their broiler plate templates are often contested in court. These workshops will set the tone for Collier schools in the future.

Maybe it’s time for the students to Save Our Schools, since the adults haven’t done such a good job over the last decade. They’ve already proven they know more about the AP issues and can exceed at dress codes. I would sign their petition. As Thomas Jefferson said, “Every generation needs a new revolution.”

The Editorial that will Never Be Published in the Naples Daily News

2007-08-10T09:45:00.000-07:00

Background: After reading a report that was used in the ultimate firing of a 36 year veteran of the Collier County Public schools and current Superintendent, I became curious. The report, created by an out of State law firm, only interviewed a handful of people at one school in a district with over 40,000 students. Meanwhile I saw another report. A report from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. It was far more credible. After posting this letter on my site, I began receiving crank phone calls. And so the story goes...

August 10, 2007

The Editorial that will Never Be Published in the Naples Daily News or How I Spent My Summer Vacation

While the faces change and the scandals vary, the power struggles remain. When you forget about the alliances, when you put away the conspiracy theories, when you cease trying to place blame, you are left with the students and how it will affect them.

In April a review team completed a report for the Quality Assurance Review of the Collier County Schools. The report was completed by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and the Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS CASI.) This report was presented to the School Board in May. Their comments were mostly positive regarding the District except for the School Board.

In that report the SACS CASI Review Team states, “However, there is a challenge, which exists and herein is acknowledged, and must be acted upon to sustain the district’s school improvement accomplishments. It is to pursue the district’s vision and mission and model the district’s beliefs, given the current condition of school board governance. District leadership is commended for striving to maintain a committed focus on achieving the district’s vision and goals within this environment.”

They go on to say, “It became evident that some board policies need review, updating and revision, not only to meet the needs of a dynamically growing and changing school district and community, but also to more specifically clarify roles. In conjunction with such policy examination and to sustain the district’s effective operation, it is important that board members’ responsibilities regarding interactions with staff at all levels within the district be examined.”

The review team recommended a “comprehensive and thorough review of its policies and operations” of the School Board. The ability of the School Board to meet those recommendations will determine our SACS District Accreditation as a Quality School System. This is a much esteemed honor. Many college scholarships, federal and private grants/loans and military appointments require regional accreditation. Loss of accreditation could have a significant impact on many young lives.

Mark Elgart, President/CEO of AdvancEd - the parent company for NCA CASI, SACS CASI and the National Study of School Evaluation - has stated, “With respect to Collier County it is conceivable that the school district could lose its accreditation but it will not happen immediately upon our follow-up visit in the fall. If the district fails to respond adequately and effectively to our recommendations it could result in a loss of accreditation after the 2007-08 school year.”

It is a time we should be celebrating, but instead we are left with our mouths agape at the behavior of our School Board.

The School Board has hired a company called Neola, Inc. from , Ohio http://www.neola.com. While they appear to have sold services to a few smaller school districts there have been many complaints concerning their “broiler-plate” solutions that have resulted in litigation. Citizens of Collier County should be very concerned about Florida’s Public Records Act, State Statute 119.

A quick comparison of other large “urban” school districts shows several grave disparities among the Collier County School Board and the rest of the country. One of the most striking is the number of members. Another is the financial compensation and retirement benefits.

I started on my journey through this event with the reading of the Hinshaw Report. After reviewing the methodology I immediately became intrigued. How could a law firm, which by the way represented Rockford Board of Education in one of the longest running desegregation cases in US history, make such a big statement about only a handful of students? What about the recent SACS report? Why isn’t anybody addressing that? I’m inquisitive by nature and I smelled a rat.

The more I dug into this the smellier it got. Without going into detail and adding fuel to the fire the parents and community should be very concerned, particularly Out of Zone students. Dr. Thompson should be questioned on his philosophical stance on School Choice and per student funding (his dissertation) as well as expulsion policies.

Approximately 44% of our student population is categorized as “Economically Needy” – they qualify for the free or reduced lunch. Many parents are unable to speak for their children and need a voice from the community. 41.7% of our students live in non-English homes, where English is not the first language and sometimes isn’t spoken. And the percentage increases to 47.7% in grades PreK through 3, where learning to read is so critical.

Rockford is Dr. Thompson’s first Superintendent position. The jury is still out on his accomplishments. The town of Rockford was split on his performance just like Naples was split on Ray Baker. Today they are decidedly against him. His refusal to make any statements to the Rockford public has incensed them. The School Board in Rockford requested his presence at a special meeting to discuss the situation. He did not attend opting to pack his office instead. The School Board voted 7-0 to place him on “indefinite paid administrative leave.” According to the Rockford Register Star, “School Board member Alice Saudargas said it would be all but impossible for Thompson to continue as the superintendent of Rockford schools after recent events. Traditionally one of Thompson’s allies on the School Board, Saudargas said the superintendent’s flirtation with the Florida board has diminished support for him, even among those board members who approve of his administration.” The School Board in Rockford is a 7 member volunteer organization and receives ongoing training from the Illinois Association of School Boards and other resources.

Dr. Thompson does not support “Site Based Management” in schools. Dr. Thompson has been criticized in Rockford for firing of all maintenance staff and replacing them with outside contracts. Much of the dollar savings Dr. Thompson has brought to Rockford is from this and the deferred maintenance on school buildings. While Dr. Thompson is interviewing with Naples, the town of Rockford is cleaning up from a major flood. Damage to school buildings is estimated at $150k. Which may not seem much to Naples, but for a school district faced with extreme State budget cuts, it is enormous.

Collier County District Staff should take note the School District and Dr. Thompson are in negotiations with six labor unions. The Attorney who presented the Hinshaw report to the Board is Lori Hoadley. She is on the Illinois Bar and not licensed to practice law in Florida. The website lists her practice focus to be, “public and private sector employers in all areas of labor and employment law, including employment litigation and union-related matters. She regularly counsels clients and litigates issues relating to the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Family Medical Leave Act, Title VII, and traditional union matters, such as unfair labor practice claims and collective bargaining issues.”

In the end, the Collier County School Board can vote to hire Dr. Thompson regardless of the suspected legal issues and without public comment. In addition to drafting iron clan contracts for superintendents they have written one for themselves. Current Board Level Policies give them unprecedented access and control of our schools. This is/has LONG been a complaint among professional educators in Collier County.

A comparison of the two reports reveals bruised egos and an attempt to sensationalize minor issues. Personally, I’m most upset with the Naples Daily News. As the only major newspaper in town it is their civic responsibility to inform the public. They actively participated in the “spin” and subsequent “hurricane” that followed. They should be held as much responsible as the School Board, former Superintendent Ray Baker, and the only candidate for future Superintendent Dr. Dennis Thompson. All have played a role in an event that will be yet another black eye for Collier County embedded in our colorful history.

After nearly 20 years, it’s really time to move out of Collier County. My house is for sale at a bargain price and it’s in Linda Abbott’s district.

Turns out the Grass is Greener when it's fake

2007-07-31T09:48:00.000-07:00

Background: I sent this one off when I thought Dr. Thompson could be an innocent pawn...I'm so naive sometimes.

Published in the Rockford Register

Dear Editor;

I am a resident of Naples , Florida . Our school board conducted an absolutely appalling meeting on Tuesday regarding the status of an independent report. The meeting turned into over 9 hours of grandstanding. The decision to terminate the contract of the current Superintendent was voted on twice. The second time he was terminated.

Our school district has been embroiled in scandals for years. We’ve had four Superintendents in eight years. Our community is split on the “latest firing.” Our newspaper, the Naples Daily News (naplesnews.com,) currently gives the former Superintendent the lead with 55% of the citizens not supporting the Boards decision to terminate him.

Many citizens are calling for an investigation by the State Department of Education and the Attorney Generals Office of both the former Superintendent and the School Board. Many vocal citizens are calling for resignations of all School Board members. Many are questioning whether Mr. Calabrese broke Floridas ’ strict Sunshine Law by contacting Dr. Thompson in the first place.

If I were Dr. Thompson I wouldn’t be packing up the house and making life\career altering plans just yet. The grass isn’t always greener on the other side.

Anytime, Anywhere, Any Pace

2007-07-27T16:08:00.000-07:00

The recent report to the District School Board emphasizes serious infractions against State Education Code. As a Florida Virtual School (FLVS) parent I feel compelled to comment on statements made regarding FLVS.

FLVS maintains strict policies to ensure academic integrity. FLVS uses a variety of technologies to check student work, including but not limited to the upload of student work to TurnItIn.com. Instructors may choose to give random oral assessments and/or face to face exams at any time. In addition, Guidance Counselors have available to them numerous resources including student progression plans and a complete video training guide.

FLVS is part of the Florida public education system and serves students in all 67 Florida districts. Each course is taught by a teacher with a valid Florida teaching certificate, certified specifically in the subject they teach. More than 64% of the teachers hold advanced degrees, and 76 are national board certified. Contact with both the student and the parent is required on a regular basis. The course work is challenging and aligned to Florida State Standards. FLVS is fully accredited by The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and The Commission on International and Trans-Regional Education.

FLVS provides over 30,000 students across the State of Florida with a viable, challenging choice in education.

For additional information contact FLVS.net