Candidates who intend to accept more than $325 from any one source or more than $1,000 overall, or who think that might be a possibility are required to form campaign committees.
According to the creation document, Steele's treasurer will be Jeany Franz, a Webb City CPA.
The papers were filed Jan. 27.
Money may well be coming Steele's way since he has received the endorsement of the Joplin Progress Committee, a group of powerful Joplin and area business interests that has indicated it wants to keep the school district and the city of Joplin headed down the paths set for them by R-8 Superintendent C. J. Huff and former City Manager Mark Rohr.
On the surface, Mr. Steele seems like a nice man. I think he really does care about kids. However, his blind devotion to the Huff the Hero myth tells me he needs to step back and let someone more objective take his place. If he can't look at the academic data, the number of his teacher friends who have been fired or who left in frustration, and the empty bank accounts of the district and conclude that something has gone terribly wrong, he needs to step down. Unfortunately, he won't. But, that doesn't mean that we have to vote for him again. Let's break the pattern and put in non-Huff people and see what our district can become. It has nowhere to go but up from here.
ReplyDeleteMr. Steele has turned a blind eye to way too much. I am SO disappointed in him. I thought more highly of him than this.
ReplyDeleteVery naive man who lacks the courage to stand up for what he knows in his heart must be done. He is as responsible as the rest of the board for the state of the district since he votes in unison with them every time. We need board members with stamina, foresight, and courage. Time to say goodbye to Mr. Steele. Good intentions but bad outcomes.
ReplyDeleteNone of the board members care a whit about staff. They only care about image, not reality, including Steele, who falls for CJ's act every time and hangs the rest of us, including one of his best friends. Pathetic. Time for new board members to take over who use some common sense.
ReplyDeletePerhaps if there were any real scrutiny of the District's finances people would realize there is a major problem and shortfall that is being hidden with a typical shell game. Huff is looking very hard for gap funding to cover his tracks quickly to hide this fact.
ReplyDelete