At least it'll make it easier to vote for the Parents not Politicians group.

Couldn't agree more with Coach and Spectator.
Having gone to lots of those budget meetings (at Nathan Hale we needed at least three teachers that the BOE didn't commit to until after the budget meetings), I think that the big frustration for many of us parents is that the Chairperson Murray tells her members not to reply to emails or return phone calls. Whether you were a hockey parent or a PTO trying to save your asst. principal, you didn't have the courtesy of a return phone call from any of the people running for re-election.
During the Principal Ockasi battle (which involed NARAMAKE, not Nathan Hale), friends told me how Mrs. Mosby complained that she thought all the emails she got and all the people who were there were trying to intimidate her.
You have to figure that these people either don't respect the public or don't think it's their job to communicate with us. Either way, it's lead to lots of lousy decisions that have hurt our kids' educations.

Although many of us see the ridiculousness of the majority on the Board of Ed having the chutzpah to announce that they are supremely qualified to pick the next superintendent, I hope that we all realize some salient and troubling facts: (1) the majority of members on the BOE helped hide Corda's contract renewal in 2007 and approved it (in spite of the lousy grades the Cambridge Report gave the central administration at the same time); (2) two current members (Jimenez and Murray) actually voted for Corda; (3) the majority approved the hiring of the current Asst. Supt. who, despite being a very kind gentleman, was a dismal failure as an interim high school principal and should have never been hired over the far more talented other applicant.
My hope is that enough of us speak out at any BOE candidate forum that's held to let the majority know that their actions are being closely watched by all of us.

The good news is that, when they "balanced" the budget, they made sure to give themselves a few bucks to attend conferences (even though it was at the expense of classroom education) so we all know that they'll be getting all the training they need to make the right choice this time-- and if they fail, if the past is prologue, it will only take them about 8 years to figure it out.

AuntBertha-- remember that parents appreciate all you do for their kids.
As for the BOE, this is a group that, even when they were spending $153,000,000 THEY STILL CUT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AIDS. To balance the budget, they cut per pupil funds available at each school but still gave the temporary supt. a free car and two administrators life insurance that continues after their jobs end.
As for school repairs, do we forget when Opdhal had to ask for tens of thousands when the high school addition needed to be painted a different color to mesh with the rest of the school? Do we forget how Jefferson got short-changed when their money was shifted around? And, don't get me started about the $2Million that had been given to Naramake for basic repairs that was then taken away before a dime was spent.
This just isn't a gang that can't shoot straight, they don't even know which end of the gun to point away from themselves.