Monday, April 04, 2016

Martucci: The day of indulgent leadership, overspending, low teacher morale are over

(The following message was posted by Joplin R-8 Board of Education member and candidate Jennifer Martucci on her Facebook page tonight.)

Friends,

Tonight, I want to start with a "thank you". Thanks to all of the volunteers, teachers, and voters who have placed their trust in me this past year on the Joplin Board of Education. I truly have tried to fight my best for fiscal accountability by voting NO on the "retirement" package of our past superintendent, voting NO on expanding the federal takeover of education through hiring a $100,000 Common Core consultant and retain local control of our students' education, and lead the fight to refinance our bond money which is projected to save Joplin taxpayers $8 million over the next ten years.

I have fought hard for our teachers. Together, we have collective bargaining and given teachers a voice. As a Board member, I led the fight to get the first raise for our teachers and educators to have a step increase in pay.

These are promises I made last election, and I fought hard against the forces who wished to keep the Joplin School District running like "business as usual". These are promises I have kept.

I will continue to stand up for your taxpayer dollars to be spent wisely, fight hard for our teachers, students and staff, and work to give educators the tools to lead our district back to Accreditation with Distinction.

Finally, as a Board we will hire our next Superintendent. I promise that I will fight for the future of Joplin Schools to continue to move forward while picking a replacement for Dr. Ridder. My choice for the next Superintendent will not take us back to where we were one year ago. Rather, we will move forward and become the excellent district we have always been.

IF you agree with this vision, I humbly ask for your support at the ballot box tomorrow.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Reminds me of the ol mission accomplished by George W. Give me a break. She couldn't figure out a crossword puzzle let alone complex financial problems. Not much att all has changed, that will take many years
To act as if we have had some sort of dramatic change is ludicrous. The increased teacher morale being put out there by some candidates is just laughabke. You are all so out of touch with what is really happening on a daily basis that it is embarrassing. What is this lady's background and education? Anyone know?

Anonymous said...

Classy lady! She has kept her promises, helped make positive changes, and held her head high through some of the dumbest criticism I have ever heard! I, for one, will vote for Mrs. Martucci, and my family members are doing the same! We know quality when we see it!

Anonymous said...

8:47 PM
Martucci's education includes a bachelor's degree in nutrition. She has worked 11 years in all levels of education, including a k-12 school district, community college, and Stanford University School of Medicine. She worked to support her husband through law school. She was treasurer of the Joplin School's Booster Club and was instrumental in staring the men's swim team. She is a staunch advocate for students and teachers. Now, what else do you want to know?

Anonymous said...

Any way to check if CJ sent the 8:47 post?

Anonymous said...

From Kaplan!?? As an HR person, I'd hire someone with a degree from American Samoa or a cereal box before I'd hire someone from Kaplan! University of Phoenix is more accredited and those resumes go into the shredder as well.

Anonymous said...

Seriously 8:42? That's all you got? Obviously your snarky comments didn't influence the voters like you had hoped. She won! Progress continues...