The Joplin R-8 School District's Bright Futures program is paying for the $15,000 six-and-a-half mile ribbon that will be one of the highlights of the media frenzy that will accompany the opening of Joplin High School, which at this time is scheduled for August 25.
The $15,000 will reportedly be covered by donations C. J. Huff's Bright Futures and public relations teams are securing from Joplin businesses, but people will also be encouraged to buy shares of the ribbon, according to Joplin R-8 Board of Education President Annie Sharp.
During an interview with Judy Stiles on KGCS' Newsmakers program, Ms. Sharp confirmed the existence of the ribbon, which was first revealed in the June 26 Turner Report.
On the opening day of the new high school, she said, "We'll have a big kickoff. If people want to be a part of history, we're selling a ribbon we are going to wrap around the whole, entire high school. You can purchase an inch, a foot, whatever and have a part of history.
"We're trying to make the Guinness Book of World Records. It's an activity Bright Futures is doing."
Um, didn't that CJ troll say this was a kids' project and we should be nice about it? Shoot, it was Bright Futures all along. I wonder why they haven't been promoting this little bit of goodness?
ReplyDeleteEvery dollar that Bright Futures spends on this indulgence is a dollar they can't spend on children right when school is starting. Sneakers, school supplies, food, or the Guiness Book of Records. Boy, that's a toss up, isn't it.
ReplyDeleteStrange priorities. Shameful. I won't give a dime to BF. But I'll buy kids sneakers and school supplies and food through my church so I'll know they actually got use of my money.
Seems like locals have paid up front with taxes, now you want them to pay for this too? You can only tap that tree so many times before the syrup stops flowing. I'm tapped out.
ReplyDeleteBright Futures lost 79 grand last year and turned down requests from some of the staff to help students. This seems like an inappropriate use of funds considering they have nothing to spare. This is why Bright Futures Joplin will never get a dollar from me. They just waste it.
ReplyDeleteApparently Bright Futures is on the "might as well" spending plan too.
ReplyDeleteGood thing money grows on trees in Joplin. There will always be plenty to spend "for the kids."
Also at 8:10- didn't you know asking questions people don't or won't answer is almost worse than bullying? It's called questioning authority. Just like the child in The Emperor's New Clothes, it's mean to tell people they've been scammed. The emperor would have been happy naked, the swindlers would have been happy, and all the subjects probably would have been happy looking at their naked emperor too.
If enough people question R-8 spending $15K on a stupid ribbon they just use money donated to Bright Futures that was intended "for the kids." That just reinforces my belief that BF is nothing more than a slush fund for C.J. Huff.
ReplyDeleteBF selling portions of the ribbon reminds me of the "brick project" where they sold bricks from the old high school. Hmmm, didn't those bricks belong to R-8 and the money should have gone back there?
Bright Futures IS a slush fund for a non profit school district. Whether it be joplin webb city, carl junction or any of the other franchises My hope is the audit of joplin will reveal this to everyone...school employees CANNOT be working on a non profit and still being paid by the tax payers. I think that is pretty simple...
ReplyDeleteI went to school before Huff came along, so I can do the math for this observation. In 6.5 miles of ribbon there are:
ReplyDelete11,440 yards
34,320 feet
411,840 inches
Just how big is this crowd going to be? Considering that no one I know wants even a thread of it, they are going to have to impose this on a lot of people. I don't think it's going to be a big sell. And whose time gets wasted going around and around the building with this superficial indulgence when there is so much else to do? The whole idea is stupid. Please, just scrap it. Literally. Let CJ pay for it and drape it around his own house. Mission Accomplished: A completely fleeced community
The Onion ought to be covering this. Unfortunately for The Onion this is actually happening, so it's outside what they can cover. Guess that leaves it up to fark.
ReplyDeleteFark doesn't cover stupid stunts all that often but they might find the "Mission Accomplished" theme behind the ribbon intriguing.
How much better it would have been if Ms. Sharp had been upfront about the terrible future of Joplin Schools. But since CJ Huff is apparently her preferred source of information, hence her sick parroting of his little speeches, I doubt that she has a clue what is happening around her. She has no credibility now. None whatsoever. But maybe she'll get to be in the Guinness book. It'll be the only book connected to Joplin Schools, where learning means nothing at all.
ReplyDeleteWhen President Bush stood in front of the "Mission Accomplished" banner a few weeks after the start of the Iraq War, the slogan became fodder for late night comics and left the rest of us scratching our heads in confusion as we soon realized the mission was most definitely NOT accomplished.
ReplyDeleteC.J., Annie, and the rest of the Board that thinks the Mission Accomplished ribbon is a good idea might want to do a little more research.
I have never heard of any thing as silly as spending money on a six mile ribbon. Is the Superintendent and his administration in this much need of publicity. The amount of $15,000 dollars could help a lot of students while a long ribbon will not provide much needed clothing for students unless they want to dress as a mummy.
ReplyDelete$15K would buy a lot of notebook paper.
ReplyDeleteWhat I don't understand: the school district in Grandview, MO, is being investigated by the FBI because of alleged favoritism in awarding a contract for a school renovation.
The school board in Spring Hill, KS, is being investigated by the FBI because of alleged impropriety by a member or two of the school board and their employment with companies that were awarded contracts.
With all I have read on this blog about the Joplin school board and CJ Huff, where the hell is the FBI?