A special meeting is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. in the Jasper County Courthouse, in which replacements for Lane Roberts, Randy Steele, and Mike Landis will be appointed and sworn in, just two days after Prosecuting Attorney Dean Dankelson said that Steele and Landis' resignations were official, whether they had been accepted by the board or not, because the law gives them the "right to resign."
The petition for a writ of mandamus, filed Wednesday in Newton County Circuit Court asks the judge to order the installment of Jim Kimbrough on the R-8 Board, saying that when the Board voted 3-2 in favor of Kimbrough at a May 29 special meeting, that was enough to make Kimbrough the legitimate choice.
Shortly after that meeting, Landis resigned, saying that he wanted the choice of new board members handed off to the Commission, a sentiment that was echoed by board member Lynda Banwart.
Well we will see who they chose..... And we will remember come there next Election Day too..... You county boys better fly the straight line.....
ReplyDeleteAnd new appointed members if you are shit people with the Huff team you have a April Election Day too.......
Funny, because the petition isn't designed to prevent new board members from being named, it's just meant to clarify the one who should already be there.
ReplyDeleteIf the judge rules in favor of the petition, it would prevent the new members from being named by the Commission because if Kimbrough was on the board, there would have only been two vacancies and it takes three before the Commission becomes involved.
ReplyDeleteAll of this to put Kimbrough on the board. Something smells fishy here.
ReplyDeleteIn your opinion, Randy, what do you think the judge will do and how long will it take him/her to make a decision?
ReplyDelete@6:38 DING DING DING DING! That's absolutely correct. If they are so damn set on choosing one person, I don't trust their motives in choosing that person.
ReplyDeleteHope you have your pencils sharpened Randy, looks like your next book is starting to take shape nicely!
ReplyDeleteTo 6:38: This isn't about putting Kimbrough on the Board, it is about allowing the legitimately elected School Board members to do the job for which they were elected. What smells fishy is why the County Commissioners are trying so hard to control the Joplin R-8 Board of Education.
ReplyDelete@6:57. It's always been about putting Kimbrough on the board. Kimbrough was the one actively trying to get Lane elected knowing it would lead to a vacancy. Kimbrough is the one who set up a "Jim Kimbrough-Teacher" facebook page just days after the election. Kimbrough is the one who has been meeting with Fort, Martucci and Koch before they even talked publicly about filling the spot. Kimbrough is the one circulating petitions and Fort and Martucci were also promoting the petitions for people to sign. The "Anti Huff 3", as they have been called on this blog, have only suggested and voted for Kimbrough to fill the seat. Only one time, when backs were against the wall, did they suggest another candidate. Everyone can see this has always been about getting Jim on the board so they have 4 votes and control everything.
ReplyDeleteWhy are people complaining about them fighting so hard for Jim to be on the board? They want to make sure they have the majority so things can change. How is that a bad thing? Nothing will change unless they can get another member. I don't get why people keep complaining about this questions their motive and whatnot. The motive hasn't changed from day one. Get your heads out of the clouds, and come back to reality.
ReplyDeleteIf that were the case he would have just run for reelection and would have been elected along with Koch and Martucci. It wouldn't have been necessary to elect Lane Roberts, knowing he wasn't going to serve.
ReplyDeleteI am struggling with all of this stuff. I am so glad that Joplin Schools are not in session. I am struggling with students, faculty, and staff becoming pawns for power hungry people. Everybody wants control, but control of what? The money- it is spent. Educational practices- can you let the teachers teach? Superintendent- he is will not be in the picture in 19 days. The school board is the citizen's representative in the institution of education. Thank you Jennifer and Debbie for asking questions, that is what you are supposed to do.
ReplyDeleteBeing an outsider and an educator, it is interesting to see how so much turmoil can come about. Other districts in this area do not have these issues. Webb City forever has a building project, and no one screams. Carthage built a beautiful facility a couple of years ago, and there was not this much turmoil. The last two years, Joplin has seen new buildings up with critics at every turn. I struggle with this.
I have a question- how are we taking care of the kids? Bright Futures (who really cares if CJ proposed it) takes care of kids. I have seen other districts use it to improve the life of kids. How is this legal stuff helping the kids? How is the blog helping the kids? I suggested some time ago on a blog comment for Randy to investigate how other districts achieve higher scores? What is Joplin doing wrong?
Think about this, we bash and trash the leaders, what do our kids see? Do you say, respect your teachers and principals, and then bash the next minute. Dr. Bandura will suggest that your kids will act more like you, then follow your words.
You have brought some valid points to the table, but I personally don't agree with all of it. I'm sorry if this makes me sound like a monster, but I get so frustrated with organizations designed to help people raise their kids. When I was a kid my parents always provided for me no matter what sacrifice had to be made. Accepting help was out of the question especially if you were able bodied and without disability. Now as a parent myself, I would never dream of letting my child's success rest on the community's shoulders because that is solely my responsibility. I think that organizations like the one you mentioned do good in the here and now, but set a negative presidence in the long run, because it excuses a lot of lazy parenting. Again sorry if that's harsh, but that's how I feel. In terms of all the new facilities being built, Joplin is bigger than the two places you mentioned which logically has tallied a lot more money. Some of those projects could be deemed extravagant, depending on your point of view.
DeleteIf the County Commissioners argument is correct that Randy Steele and Mike Landis resignations were in effect by the end of May, their votes for CJ's buyout should not have counted.
ReplyDeleteSounds like some people want to take the focus off what the county commissioners are trying to do and WHY they're trying to do it.
ReplyDelete7:54 AM: As far as I can tell Kimbrough decided to not run for reelection for a 3 year term before Lane got his job up north. Once that happened, and after it was too late to change the ballots, it was reasonable for Kimbrough, looking at the changed situation, to decide to try to go back on the board for a 1 year term.
ReplyDeleteFor that matter, if Kimbrough decided to leave the board because he was always outnumbered by the pro-Huff faction, and wasn't confident the election would change that, the situation presented by anti-Huff voters putting in Koch, Martucci, and a man they knew wasn't going to be there to do the job to defeat the sitting board president by landslide majorities made it very clear there was hope. Something not clear after the previous election which did eject sitting board president Flowers, elect reformer Fort, but also put Banwart on the board.
The suspense is killing me!
ReplyDeleteElections don't matter and neither do the courts!
ReplyDeleteEverybody wants control, but control of what? The money- it is spent.
ReplyDeleteNot all, not yet, or did you forget the $100K for consulting for an administrator who many report cannot do their job themselves that the new board vetoed? And why is the district stiffing contractors? That money may have been spent by the contractors, two sets now, but the district has to pay them or win in court. And the short term loans have to be paid off, which will get very nasty if FEMA et. al. don't pay as much to the district as Huff thought they would.
Educational practices- can you let the teachers teach?
That clearly won't happen under the current regime, which was why it was so important to remove Huff, and next his incompetent, micromanaging syncopates in the administration. Which will also, by the way, save a lot of desperately needed money.
Superintendent- he is will not be in the picture in 19 days.
But someone will have to replace him, interim and permanent. And who's chosen for those jobs will critically matter for fixing the above problems.
So the battle for control of the board, between the establishment that got the district into the mess, and the new reformers, is vital.
As for why this is only happening in the Joplin district, this is something we can blame on the tornado, for otherwise Huff would likely have been sent packing long ago, the damage was starting to be evident before the tornado hit and upended everything.
@7:57AM
ReplyDeleteRandy decides what to do, I suspect he can't do everything.
>>>I suggested some time ago on a blog comment for Randy to investigate how other districts achieve higher scores?<<<
Plenty of others are doing this. People write dissertations, start multi million dollar consulting businesses, on the internet- there are even websites about this!
>>>What is Joplin doing wrong?<<<
Have you read the new book? Who else do you think could have researched and written this book about Joplin? Who else has written about some of the more egregious schemes and hidden agendas (and many times before they are even underway and/or failing?) Who else exposes and publishes about the Joplin areas various axes of greed and the good old boy and girl greasers that really make the wheels go round?
>>>Think about this, we bash and trash the leaders, what do our kids see? Do you say, respect your teachers and principals, and then bash the next minute.<<<
Think about this, at some point is enough enough?
What do our kids see?
A democracy which is sometimes rough around the edges? Or do they see some sort of Hollywood front that just looks like a democracy? Is it rude to pull back the curtain to look at the lever pullers?
One alternative is fantastically expensive schools and administrative facilities complete with European furniture and the best interior design and chandeliers money can buy. All constructed on a foundation of sinkholes and bonded debt. Inspired and run by buzzwords and the finest unicorn farts the consultants can sell. Meantime, what Joplin really needs is something like the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts! It's already half built, perhaps someone can think of a way to move it forward as soon as possible. Maybe a public private partnership? This may be just what the Axes of Greed and Grease want. What do most of the taxpayers want? Do they want to know the plan before they are stuck paying for yet another fait accompli?
Enough of this, I have a book to finish. Hopefully I won't have to wait for a second book or the Joplin Globe to find out how some of these lawsuits turn out.
9:06 PM- When there is a "lazy parent?" Who suffers the consequences?
ReplyDeleteDoes that develop a generational cycle or would you rather stop the cycle?
I wish there were more people like you.
11:09 AM-
We live in a republic where we elect officials to make decisions. We have a say in the county commission appointment because we elect those officials. Wait, Newton County citizens did not have a say... should we go to General Assembly? Hmmm... did you see how the fools ended that session?
I am not a Huff fan. I have an axe or two to grind with him. I think we neeed to let go and start working together... everybody, pro Huff, anti Huff- EVERYBODY! We need to focus on why Joplin Schools and every other school district exists- to help our young generation succeed.
Why doesn't Newton County appoint 3 members and swear them in also? They are in the R-8 district also. This would cause issues that the quitters did not see.
ReplyDelete