Left unmentioned in this rosy assessment of the audit is the fact that the state auditor does not audit all Missouri school districts- only troubled school districts, districts that petitioned for the audit or districts in which the auditor felt the need to step in.
The petition was well underway in Joplin when Superintendent C. J. Huff called Tom Schweich's office and asked for the audit.
A "fair" rating is the next to lowest rating a school district can receive. Only C. J. Huff has pushed the idea that the rating is all right because that's what all of the schools receive. Only Huff had the nerve to try to make a damaging audit sound like a badge of honor.
Until today.
Those who listened to the interview with R-8 Board candidate Melinda Campbell this morning on KZRG heard Huff's words parroted.
The audit wasn't that bad, after all.
"I was pleased with the audit rating we got," Campbell said. "If you look at, statistically, through the state of Missouri, we did not receive any better rating or any worse rating than the average."
Campbell said she was concerned with the school district's debt and mentioned the loan the district took out last week.
"Twenty nine million dollars," KZRG's Darrin Wright said.
Campbell quickly corrected him. "Up to $29 million," which she said would cover current expenses and building expenses until FEMA and other government agencies reimburse the district.
Asked what needed to be done to get district spending under control, Campbell repeated the Huff Administration mantra that everything will get better now that the district is nearly finished with the building projects.
"I would hope now that the schools are built and we are moving out of recovery mode back to a more normal spending..." She left that thought hanging and added that she wanted to see the fund balance improve.
Campbell said she wouldn't change anything about the way district spends money only make sure it was done with "transparency," a word she used multiple times during the interview.
"We need to be responsible for the money we spend," she said.
Campbell said she had done considerable research on Common Core and she liked it.
"Common Core is also known as the Missouri Learning Standards," she said, beginning to unveil her extensive investigation of the topic. "I see Common Core as guiding the students to be more college and career ready, moving them toward a pattern of more critical thinking.
"I do like the concept of a common curriculum for grades K-12, not dependent on socioeconomics and demographics."
After the pro-Common Core statement, Campbell made her bid for the anti-Common Core vote. "But I feel that we should not let the federal government dictate our standards."
But maybe they have to do it because Joplin doesn't have enough curriculum writers, she said.
Though she did not indicate she was having sleepless nights because of it, Campbell said, "That leads me to just a thought- that I ponder often- if Common Core is not for us, then what is?"
Deep thoughts, indeed.
32 comments:
Does Polly want her cracker now? What an airhead.
Campbell is yet another tool and merely a stalking horse in Huff's effort to keep Martucci off the Board.
We are right on par with the other loser districts in the state, so what's to complain about? Only one district has ever done worse than us on an audit, and that was St. Joseph for obvious criminal intent--as opposed to the covert criminal intent in R8.
Gosh, that is so much to be proud of Ms. Campbell. You are a stooge for CJ. Thanks for making that unarguably apparent this morning.
HEY! Don't call me an airhead. I speak for myself! How did I do CJ? LOL
It's good to see all those years of butt kissing in PTO have paid off. Now she's butt kissing in a bigger game. It's a good skill to have and has sure paid off in R8 for the otherwise inept.
So, she was seen right after that having breakfast at Panera with Mike Landis. Is he coaching her? Really? How hard is it to be a board member in R8? You only need to know one word--yes--and you've got it. Maybe he's coaching her in the fine art of stealing and disposing of your opponent's yard signs. Happened to me last year. Happened to me this year. I sense a pattern for anti-Huff-regime candidates.
The school board's job is checks and balances. Do you want to know why out of control spending has taken place? How about the termination of some personnel without due process (or rigged due process proceedings) at the same time keeping others around who deserve termination based on sexual harassment still have their jobs? Or why some faculty get away with earning extra money on company time or coming into work late on a daily occurrence? Look no further than that lack of checks and balances, lame duck excuse of a school board! Dr. Fort's the only person on that board, who has the district's best interest at heart. Let's add Koch, Martucci and Roberts to Dr. Fort and take back our schools. Now who's with me? Go to KZRG's story about Campbell and leave a comment! Better yet go to Koch, Martucci and Roberts Facebook page and get your yard signs!
DESE wants to pretend the Missouri Learning Standards are of their own invention and not the CCSS. Thank you, Ms. Campbell, for reminding everyone that they are one and the same, despite the state legislature's denunciation of CCSS. Perhaps they need to starve DESE out. Then all the rats like CJ would lose their political clout.
She looks like a little girl playing dress up. I guess she is living in a child's fantasy here, if she thinks what is going on in R8 is acceptable. But Daddy CJ said it was good, so for her, that's enough. Who needs facts and data indicating otherwise? That's no fun to have to study at all.
"Up to $29 million" sounds just like the "up to $62 million" we heard in the pro-bond speeches. Now we are "up to" somewhere around $74 million dollars in loans on top of the $62 million in the bond. They spent all of that, plus the insurance, plus the donations, plus the vast majority of the general funds, and then still had to borrow $74 million dollars on the hope that FEMA and SEMA will cover everything they built.
We absolutely cannot let this woman get elected. She will be a puppet for CJ and will not be able to do enough for him. Let's face it. He had Steele talk her into running and has Landis coaching her. Vote for Martucci, Koch, and Roberts, unless you like the numbers above.
Her hair is so tight to her head maybe it's squeezing the brain cells? Maybe installing a bigger lift kit (I know more about trucks than hair saloons) could speed up her cpu?
Cracks me up! CJ proclaims that he is a conservative! I've never seen such a left wing juggernaut in all of my life. Raise my taxes to the hilt for uncontrolled spending on uncontrolled programs (Joplin R*). We need true conservatism within the district.
Define "normal spending," please. What is that? We haven't seen it since Huff came on board. He and Besendofer blew millions of TARP dollars on TLCs and trips. None of that helped scores. In fact, scores were going down before the tornado and the district lost its level of Accredited with Distinction the year after Huff arrived. That was when he and Angie started the spin about how that didn't matter, and then we got the spin about how many ways there are to measure success when scores continued to plummet despite their reckless spending and cronyism hiring practices. The district is terribly depleted financially, ethically, and morally. We cannot turn it around with Campbell, Good, and Sharp elected. Just say no to them.
To be fair, CJ is extremely conservative...
with his money.
Clueless. Absolutely clueless. The perfect CJ Huff backer. Concerned about the debt. Hopes we can go back to normal spending, whatever in hell that is, but has no idea whatsoever how that will be attained. Let me help you out here. We can't go back to "normal spending." We have to go to tremendously reduced spending in order to make the numbers balance. In other words, jobs must be cut STARTING AT THE ADMINISTRATION BUILDING and then other superfluous positions cut around the district. This is why so few teaching positions are posted. Many of those jobs won't be refilled or will have TLCs crammed into them. Then trips and school activities will have to be cut. Why haven't these things been made public? Because Anne Sharp, this little dweeb, and Nancy Good will have no chance of getting elected if this truth gets out. That's why Anne made sure to say they will grapple with the finances after the election. Turn them out, or you can bet it will just get worse from here.
"This leads me to a thought--one that I ponder often--if Common Core isn't for us, then what is?" This decries the common belief that there is no such thing as a stupid question.
Which fits better here, "exit stage left" or "don't call us, we'll call you"? Such ignorance knows no bounds. I wonder how the Globe will spin this tomorrow. The ultimate challenge.
Landis talked Nancy Good into running for school board. Enough said?
WHAT PART OF A "FAIR" RATING WOULD MAKE YOU FEEL HAPPY. HAVE YOU ALREADY BEEN DRINKING CJ'S KOOL-AID??
Nancy is a well respected businesswoman, and she is loaded so do not be surprised when she gets elected.
It is widely believed that Napoleon had a Landis complex.
Many district employees, parents, and taxpayers vote. Don't be surprised if she doesn't.
Considering the size of the voting block comprised within the R8 staff, it seems like somewhere along the line CJ and Landis might have mentioned to Ms. Campbell to at least pretend she cared about retention of staff. Must have slipped their minds. Strange, considering that Landis is married to a teacher. As it is, I think most of the staff are ready for a change in leadership, seeing as their paychecks have not changed noticeably since Huff came to town. His paycheck has gone up exponentially, though. Priorities...
Nancy Good might have been well respected at one time, but now that she is so closely associated with, and supportive of, the likes of CJ Huff, Mark Rohr, Shawn McGrew, and Mike Woolston, she may find herself not the most popular person around. It would also be nice if she would have the courtesy to ASK before she sticks her signs in business lots and people's yards. We can just keep throwing them away, but trespassing charges could just happen. I believe this is a misdemeanor. What it really falls under is just unbelievable arrogance, to me.
Every time I read this post I find myself flabbergasted. What an empty headed woman. Is that lift in her hair the air escaping? Unbelievable.
It would be impossible to improve the district's financial condition without drastically changng its spending habits, transparent or not, Ms. Campbell. Until excess job positions, excess trips, and excess programs are cut, there will be no improvement. Not all of the current financial condition can be blamed on spending. It is to be blamed on mismanagement, and if you cannot bear the thought of conflict with your pal CJ and his merry band of thieves, you had better drop out of this race. It will take conflict and radical change to save the district. Transparency while continuing to make the same mistakes will improve nothing.
The fact that this dimwit is what CJ Huff personally courted for the board is exactly what is wrong with this district. Can you imagine a board composed of Sharp, Steele, Landis, and Campbell? It would be a dream come true for Huff.
I just reread the section about the CCSS and curriculum writing and dictated standards. That is the most stupid nonsense I have ever read. I love Common Core (because CJ told me I do), but I don't believe our standards should be dictated? Really? Then we follow that absent-of-brain matter thought with the suggestion that maybe we have to because Joplin doesn't have enough curriculum writers? Who the hell does she think writes curriculum? The teachers, twit, the teachers. And the teachers have been writing curriculum nonstop since that damned tornado because those placed in charge of its creation are too inexperienced and inept to get that job done.
The ignorance presented in this post is appalling, but it is a perfect reflection of CJ Huff's vision of school. Surround yourself with ignorant people who know less than you do and pay them well compared to the rest, and they will follow you blindly. I wonder what board members get in exchange for their loyalty? It would be good to know that.
I see everyone complaining ......so why didn't any of YOU Geniuses run ?? Pathetic.
I wonder if there wasn't an anonymous option, how much of us would actually post this garbage. Not that I don't think there are issues, and she is a piece of work, really that hair, but you all have free priviledge to spout evil without any responsiblity.
Thanks Turner, good work fomenting drama upon drama.
@9:28
Evil is a bunch of fools running the school system into the ground as they bleed the taxpayers dry.
Again....trying to discredit anonymity anonymously is the epitome of irony.
This is disappointing. No vote for her from me.
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