The meeting between the Council and School Board to go over the results that the schools are getting is at Baldwin on Tuesday night. It’s a hell of a week, I have a Council meeting Monday, School Board Tuesday, Finance Wed and Fleet Plan work session on Thursday.
Ouch.
September 25, 2011 at 7:50 pm
maybe steal NYC’s slogan about the City that never sleeps? Toss in prep time and you have one heck of a week there, young fella!
September 25, 2011 at 11:21 pm
I just want to share some articles I wish I had a few weeks ago in another discussion. They would have made my posts shorter and I sounded less like a line nutcase or something, but, alas, they aren’t made yet.
If you, somehow, please read find some free timethe Perry Bacon Jr. article from Sunday’s Post Outlook section on moderates political extremes. The basic ideas here are that moderates could do things like the extremes do to actually get politicians to become more moderate. It discusses the complexity of trying to be moderate get moderates elected better then I did.
While looking for that, I found the Mark Miller online article on what a hypothetical middle-of-the-road third-party presidential candidate’s first speech sound like. I share this because it kind-of plays off the first article in some ways and because it discusses attitudes and issues like have been the blog lately. You’ll find takes on education, the economy in varies ways, and more in there. In some ways, it remains me of some of your better blog posts where you are upfront and honest about the issues in the City in a way that seemingly many politicians aren’t. Oh, and yes I would vote for this candidate if you’re wondering about that because, among other things, he/she tells it like it is, has quite a few good ideas (and of course some bad ideas but they don’t outweigh the good ideas), and says these lines: “As you may have noticed, I haven’t said anything about abortion, the death penalty, guns or gay marriage. These are important issues, but they’re not the most important things a president should address in the years ahead. As a result, I won’t discuss them at all in the campaign. If they’re your top priority, I’m not your candidate.”
September 25, 2011 at 11:23 pm
Please forgive the spacing error between the second and third paragraph that I didn’t notice occur cutting and pasting from Word. Curse the lack of the ability to edit and/or delete posts!
September 26, 2011 at 6:44 am
That’s an interesting piece. About “honesty” and “telling it like it is”: on a local level you can do it and not immediately be killed and eaten as *most* of your fellow electeds are not out for blood. However, if you were watching during the last budget cycle you did see some of that nastiness here in Manassas.
September 26, 2011 at 7:15 pm
Since this is an open thread, I want to make it perfectly clear than I hope we kick the crap out of Dallas tonight. Well, we’ll know the outcome in just a few hours….
September 26, 2011 at 8:02 pm
I would concur with your sentiments although our recent record vs. Dallas is not encouraging…:)
September 26, 2011 at 8:05 pm
Rita Colleran’s presentation to council tonight was a breath of fresh air! As new Managing Director of the MCPS Education Foundation she introduced their 3-year plan to improve public relations & community awareness about Manassas City Public Schools, starting with several immediate actions, including plans for a “Stand Strong for Education” MCPS & Business Expo on Thurs., Nov. 3 from 5 to 8 pm at Mayfield Intermediate School.
September 26, 2011 at 9:10 pm
Ah, my compliments to Ms. Colleran already – at least she looked at City Calendar to schedule an event which would not conflict with another.
Can’t say the same for the Veterans Day Parade and Neighborhood Conference on same Saturday and same time. I feel for those who will have to be in two places at once.
September 27, 2011 at 8:47 am
Ray,
May want to check the dates:
– The Parade is Nov. 12th
-The Conference was moved to Nov. 19th
September 27, 2011 at 7:41 pm
Steve, thanks! Public Works newswletter said November 12th, and nothing was posted on the master City calendar. Did see on Neighborhood Services webpage today that it says Nov. 19th. Was operating off the last published thing I saw when I wrote my comment.
September 27, 2011 at 8:38 pm
Oh for the love of all that is good and holy….Battalion Chief
http://www2.insidenova.com/news/2011/sep/27/3/manassas-city-council-vote-fire-battalion-chief-ar-1340481/
Vetted by Finance Committee??? The 3 Chiefs were run through the wringer with comments made all around the place and settled. “see what other options”???? Good grief! Does anybody even remember issues of Command & Control were clearly, clearly spelled out in the Virginia Fire Service Board Report?
Seems like everytime I am occupied and miss either attending in person or viewing live on TV the Council Session the real interesting things happen.
September 27, 2011 at 8:49 pm
Yes, Neighborhood Services changed the conference date so it wouldn’t conflict with the parade, but all this happened after the Sept newsletter went out. NS is aware the same conflict will probably occur in 2012 & 2013 as well. The Nov 12 parade and the Nov 19 conference will both be in the Oct. Town Hall newsletter.
September 28, 2011 at 1:31 am
Our fire department reminds me of the history of the Fire Department of the City of New York. It started out all has the all volunteer FDNY in 1737 and then the paid Metropolitan Fire Department was established in 1865. The link says: “The change created resentment and bitter actions were taken by some who opposed the elimination of the volunteers. This resulted in rough and tumble battles fought on both personal and political levels.” Sounds like Manassas huh?
You can read the long story in the link. Short version is that all volunteer units were phased out over time in NYC as it grows with the all but two volunteer companies being replaced by paid staff in 1937. The two volunteer companies left in NYC are both in areas of Staten Island. Also worth noticing is that the paid staff had direct supervision over the volunteers between the time of the volunteer companies being just incorporated has part of the FDNY and their replacement by paid companies. Finally, the FDNY continues to honor the legacy and traditions of the volunteers (note how it’s called the FDNY not the Metropolitan Fire Department for one) despite nearly all companies being paid firefighters.
Now the Manassas Volunteer Fire Company likes to say it’s been serving since 1892- or for 119 years and counting. Well, I say the original/volunteer FDNY served for 128 years before being replaced by paid Metropolitan Fire Department. Interesting that it’s basically only a ten year difference between how long the MVFC has served and how long the original volunteers served independently in NYC. Coincidence? Perhaps, but I kind-of see as a sign. Maybe the history of the City Fire Department will someday read like the history of the FDNY. You can already see it happening: Formation of a paid department after a long history of volunteer only service? Check. Resentment by the volunteers? Check. Personal and political battles over it? Check. Now all we need is the City leadership to have the will the NYC leadership had to say that paid staff will be in full control (not just in name only like it is now) and the department is moving to be a mostly paid force. The MVFC served very well over its history but times have changed here like they have in NYC- both areas that were once rural but became urban- and perhaps there time is almost over like it was for the volunteers. Of course, it may not end up exactly like what happened in NYC but I’ll tell you one thing: The volunteers fought the paid staff and lost up there and now there are almost no volunteers left. Take that however you will.
Regardless, the Manassas City leadership could learn a few things from the history of the FDNY. If the City wants the paid Chief to be in control, they must find out why having the paid staff supervise the volunteers worked there and apply it here. I’ll bet the answer isn’t having three chiefs and basically trying to act like the volunteers are in separate departments then the paid department. Again my advice to the City leaders: Stop doing what you are doing now and do what was done in NYC. Yes, the volunteers will have hurt feelings but times have changed. Like NYC, the City has decided to have a paid department. Now you all need the will like the NYC leadership had to make it truly happen and say that the paid department chief and the paid supervisors are in control and the volunteer companies are but parts of the larger City Fire and Rescue Department. Period. End of story.
September 28, 2011 at 8:17 am
Andy,
Good comments by you at City Council and School Board meeting.
Dumb idea pushed by other speakers to PAY for happy talk about Manassas City Schools.
September 28, 2011 at 8:21 am
Except its not that simple Andrew. . .
The tax implications are much different here than New York City back then, a much larger city then with much larger tax base than Manassas is now.
September 28, 2011 at 8:45 am
@Andy: having spent some quality time on the sharp end of this particular stick I can tell you I agree with DavidB. I do believe that this should be a process that evolves towards whatever eventual end comes. Amongst all of these different arguments the truth will eventually out and the Council will take action on it. Trust me, we’re paying attention.
September 28, 2011 at 11:53 pm
In regard to ‘good comments’ comment I made in previous post, I have been asked to clarify my comment by an avid reader of, though no longer poster on this blog. I appreciated Andy’s comments which focused on the issue of school safety, you can’t expect kids to focus on their studies if they are preoccupied and worried about their physical safety. As far as his comments concerning the council taking a beating for coughing up more money for what many in the community believe is a failing school system, well to paraphrase Colin Powell ‘you guys paid for it you own it.’ Good luck in the coming elections.
In regard to spending money on a PR person for the school system, I know it was kicked around before and seemed to be pushed pretty heavily by some at the meeting, well, it is a dumb idea. You insult the intelligence of the parents and taxpayers who are already here and you insult the intelligence of the parents and taxpayers you hope to attract. What don’t our public officials get about delivering results? If you are going to keep throwing money at problems, why don’t you at least direct it towards the people who are in the most obvious position to solve the problems: the teachers? Why not direct all that extra money you seem to able to find in our pockets towards performance awards for the performance you want to pay some outsider, or well connected PR person, to write happy news about rather than actually deliver? You can call them Pittance Awards in honor of the School Board Chairman
September 29, 2011 at 9:35 am
There already is a PR person for the school system. She’s the one that told me Jennifer Buske – a great writer and good person – does not work for The Washington Post any more and this morning I learned — from the PR consultant the City hired — that the Post is closing its suburban bureaus. Good relations with the press doesn’t just happen, and in this changing environment, its more important than ever to steer the City into the communication channels that will best get their information out to the public. I know I don’t go to our “newspaper of record” anymore, at least not the print version. In fact, I come to blogs and hyperlocal news sites first to see what is really happening in the City.
Nobody’s out to insult anyone’s intelligence, we’re just trying to push out information – facts – about the city. There were three rows of educators there Tuesday night. If you talked to each one of them, you would learn that what you read in the papers isn’t what is going on in the schools. And I know, as someone without children in the public schools, I have to search hard to get any information about the public schools. You can’t rely on meeting notes taken from PowerPoint presentations as good reporting. Joe Conroy did not talk to any of the educators or education foundation folks or citizens there Tuesday night.
Andy’s trying to connect city information with school information, so everyone knows what is really going on, so we can all work together to make this city better, whether you’re paid to do that, or you just love this place and want to volunteer.
I’m frustrated that both the schools PR person and I sat down with the paid PR consultant last spring for several hours and gave our input (I produce the city’s 10 newsletters), and then never saw the resulting presentation to the city. I’ve asked for it, and would love to see it. And nothing has changed! I am frustrated that despite years of advising the city to go to one newsletter (I even got my hands slapped because I said it to the council at citizen’s time a few years ago, hoping they’d listen then), it still comes out of the budgets of three departments as three newsletters, and one of those is the water report. So the city’s only method of communication with the public over one year is 9 four-page print newsletters. By the time they go out, they are old news, and yet I see the local newspaper of record pick up on the stories from them.
If you’re not going to pay a professional to establish those relationships with the press and open those channels of communication, then at the very least, start that Communications Committee of volunteers with the expertise to at least start you on the road to FY2012. I will be the first to volunteer. It is an embarrassment that the City is not using e-news or social media to communicate with its citizens — I just got back from the Virginia Statewide Neighborhood Conference in Williamsburg, and talked with officials from Roanoke and Richmond and Fairfax who have received awards for their Neighborhood Services, FACET and MPACT programs that relied heavily on communication to get their citizens involved.
Without the investment in PR, you’re living in the 1980s . You can’t engage the young families you want to target that way.
September 29, 2011 at 9:54 am
@DavidB – concur about tax implications. Part of that was discussed in AndyH’s prior posting on fiscal. In terms of it, all anyone has to do is look to Southwest VA and the City of Bedford which is making application to GA to revert to town status. Costs of remaining an independent city was just no doable (and acknowledged their area is far different from ours). Still, it is one place to learn lessons from both for City Ops & Schools.
@AndyH “Amongst all of these different arguments the truth will eventually out and the Council will take action on it.” My friend, there is wisdom in your statement, but overall, you get a “Maggie’s Drawer’s” on the Rifle Range for that bolo shot. I have stood before the Council and referenced the February 2011 VFB report, but also where developing a Stategic Plan was one of your first priorities long ago as you did the scut work to get things moving which still has not been presented to Council as directed by the ordinance. I told our new FRS Chief it was interesting in reading an interview he gave to newspaper, and in a few short columns, he wrote it….and encouraged he translate it to paper. I have heard no futher Council Directive the Strat Plan be put to paper and presented, nor as I said to Council, a formal response be prepared to the VFB report and presented. Actually, logic would say FRS Chief put his thoughts to paper, as what is in the report fit to his words. I do give credit though to the Council meeting shortly where the Draft Fleet Plan is developed – at least then for the Five Year Impacts you addressed previously has one small baby step.
September 29, 2011 at 10:24 am
Oh, we have a PR person already. Great! So let’s pay out more money for more of the same results.
Thanks Cindy for volunteering, would you be willing to extend that to your paid work for the city? That might free up a chunk of cash towards that investment into PR and keep us from us returning to the dreaded 80s.
And I’m not being simply facetious, I think if you do have a better alternative for the money they are paying you now to accomplish the tasks you are being paid for then more power to you, just not more money 🙂
September 30, 2011 at 7:32 am
AmeriCorps announced its next round of grants with letter of intent by 12/15/2011 and application deadline of 01/18/2012.
I do so hope if the accepted Neighborhood Conservation Plan within GTS – presented as being exportable to our two other distressed neighborhoods – will be moved forward to the next one so at least an application is made. Of course, given the City is paying for the place for the four volunteers to live at GTS, those bucks will have to be identified too. Hope so – my time and others was invested to at least be the “think tank” helping AndyH get the Neighborhood Plan moving 🙂
September 30, 2011 at 9:23 am
I thought the house belonged to Habitat, another community partner? I hear the VISTAs led a walk last night on one of GTS’ rougher streets.
Ray, I picked up extra info for you at the neighborhood conference in Williamsburg. The “Aging in Place in Virginia’s Neighborhoods – The Village Model” seminar featured speakers from VHDA, Colonial Beach Village, Mount Vernon at Home and Colonial Heritage Community Foundation. Probably people you already know and info you present yourself, but I did like the Neighbor 2 Neighbor (N2N) concept of a barter/trade/support network to help us b-boomers through our third life cycle. Example – ran into someone in the Bloom parking lot the other day who explained how they look after the neighboring senior community by keeping track of lost items, assisting frail customers and even allowing small carts to leave the premises…especially since a thoughful resident rounds them up and returns them promptly 🙂
September 30, 2011 at 11:18 am
@ Cindy
Question on City & School Publicity: We all get the various newsletters in our monthly Utilities Bill. Has anyone thought/suggested/pushed for getting a School one in there? Given we have 10K+ homes in the City, that at least is a way to say “we sent it to ya!”
Thanks for picking up the extra items…I’ll swing by and do a pickup sometime in the next couple of days. Bloom is smart considering there is a walk-path up from Quarry Station to them. Occasionally bump into our Tallest Senior Councilman there…LOL!
September 30, 2011 at 11:21 am
@Cindy, I looked back in the GTS plan and your right about the house.
“The City is working with Habitat for Humanity and the GTS HOA to share the cost of the housing for the recruits to be located in the neighborhood. This is currently estimated at $15,000 for Year 1.”
September 30, 2011 at 12:04 pm
@Ray: I am but one humble person. I admit to not having pushed the strategic planning stuff much lately but it wasn’t like I ever got much traction with it. My friend from Texas, who grew up in Manassas and still keeps up with local news, put it best: you guys run that “city” like it’s a 1970’s town……
September 30, 2011 at 3:07 pm
School House News was delivered in the Dec & June utility bills. It was discontinued after Dr. Upperman left (10 yrs ago?).
The city should have one newsletter that covers all city news and comes out of one budget with one project manager (a PIO). Ideally, it would be print & electronic –pushed out through the city website, e-mail, social media & linked to all HOAs/community org websites/e-news. The city website and govt access channels should offer short videos on the basics of good citizenship (in English & Spanish): how to put out your trash, yardwaste and leaves, what to recycle, a tour of the HHW collection site, voting procedures, starting a Neighborhood Watch, reporting graffiti, PTO/PTA news and ways for citizens to get involved and engaged. This isn’t rocket science. Take a tour of other VA cities on the Internet and see what they’re doing.
October 1, 2011 at 5:28 pm
@AndyH, you push a lot my friend, just hard when others keep reinforcing the wall you push against with different material each time, and then tossing oil over it so you fall on your glutes. You know me – I don’t toss out something out here or anywhere without either an idea or a strawman behind it, especially if you had asked for something from me.
As for that Strategic Plan and the VFB Report – me, I am not a big fan of using a lot of words to write a Stat Plan. I like Peter Drucker who lead us all down the path, but sometimes having something taking pages on pages is not worth it like McNamara did bringing MBO to Dept. of Defense. It should have the main items to accomplish, then bullets underneath with KISS approach. I can remember taking the Chief’s interview, and for fun scratching out his points against VFB Report recommendations. Just played with it since nobody was asking for it or paying me for it 🙂
October 2, 2011 at 10:45 am
http://hamptonroads.com/2011/09/shifting-burdens-not-money
“… a critical program promised by state lawmakers who’ve abdicated
their responsibility to appropiate funding for it.”
Another unfunded mandate dumped on local governments.
October 2, 2011 at 2:11 pm
Steve, always like the tidbits you toss up from other papers!
This one on the mandates just slays me. The Governor created a task force, and yet, JLARC every year has to give the General Assembly a report on what the mandates are, and what they cost. Wonder why nobody ever bothers to read the report?
October 2, 2011 at 9:59 pm
Condy B. said:
“Nobody’s out to insult anyone’s intelligence, we’re just trying to push out information – facts – about the city. There were three rows of educators there Tuesday night. If you talked to each one of them, you would learn that what you read in the papers isn’t what is going on in the schools. And I know, as someone without children in the public schools, I have to search hard to get any information about the public schools. ”
CB, you and those proposing to spend more money on PR for the schools may not be out to insult anyone’s intelligence but believe me as someone who has had children in the Manassas school system such a proposal is insulting. I have no objection to a better use of existing monies, but I really would like the MCPS to come up with a better #1 answer to the “crisis” in our school system than give them more money.
October 3, 2011 at 7:01 am
We do not need a PR person to put out “puff” pieces in order to “trick” people into moving to the City. The best PR is free, by word of mouth, by higher test scores, by higher graduation rates, etc, all of which are published in local newspapers or spread by friends and family.
It would border on criminal to lead people to believe we have a good school system, when over a quarter of the students are not English speakers first, that a high number of students are illegal, almost fifty percent are on free or reduced lunch, and the graduation rate for the high school is 76 percent and half that for the students that cost the most to educate. The image of the City is that we are over run with illegals and gangs. Given the biggest three news stories of the last year all focused on those two it’s easy to see why. Get rid of illegals and we will have a much better school system. We will have a lower teacher to student ratio, fewer students who are just going through the paces, less violence, and lower costs.
October 3, 2011 at 7:20 am
The city already hired a pr consultant who supposedly made a presentation to the city on how to retool the current set up. You have a fire marshal/pio, a police pio, a city newsletter contract, a schools pr person and now, a paid education foundation director with a pr plan. Surely between those five people with communications experience (full-time/part-time/contractor), an overall city pio and a joint public relations plan can emerge. There is your five-person communications committee if you want it. They all talk to the press and many of the City’s diverse audiences on a daily basis — they’re just not connecting with each other, so everything is piece meal. Or you can bring in volunteers. It could SAVE money in the long-run, and give you more mileage out of the money the city is already spending — not to mention the money the city parcels out to other entities — HMI, etc. to promote Manassas. If there is an overall plan, I haven’t seen it, and would love to.
My children were in the public school system and left Osbourn HS early. Both got their GEDs. My daughter is working toward graduating with a bachelors in Biology from GMU next spring, is working full time and has an unpaid internship at the US Geological Survey. I have Janet Graham from MCPS to thank for her encouragement of my daughter. My son is at VA Tech with a scholarship to the Pamplin School of Business. I have Mr. Yankey’s “Civicsville” at Metz to thank for that.
I want to correct the problems as passionately as any other long-time resident of this city. But we need doers, not complainers, people willing to go out on a limb, like Andy Harrover, to make things happen.
October 3, 2011 at 7:27 am
For whatever it’s worth, I had the exact opposite understanding of Tim’s remarks than others here. I thought what he was saying was that other people were fooling folks on the internet into believing that our schools were bad when they weren’t. Not that we should engage in such. I don’t agree with his remarks in either event….
@Cindy: There is no overall plan. The consultant was fired before she got much done and if anything happens, it’ll be during the budget process. I’m of a mind to consolidate all of the fractional positions into a single PR position. Just one mans opinion tho.
October 3, 2011 at 9:07 am
Andy,
That is also what I thought Tim D said, but I also thought he threw in a plug for the need to shell out more for PR to counter the ‘incorrect’ negative image of what really are positive test scores that just give the impression of being bad. Hey, should apply for the PR position?
October 3, 2011 at 9:58 am
“But we need doers, not complainers, people willing to go out on a limb, like Andy Harrover, to make things happen.”
Oh those malcontents, complainers! I’m done listening to the happy talk CB, I’m well aware of success stories coming out the public schools, and the Soviet Union was the first country to put a man into space, big deal, the MCPS are failing. In “crisis” according to the leaders who took part in the school board and city council meeting. I’m not calling for anyone’s head or firing. I want an adult, intelligent conversation which recognizes the problems that exist. I don’t want to be told that I need to cough up more money to whitewash those problems or what you think I should be doing in all my spare time. I want the problems fixed. And I intend to hold Dr Pope, the central office, the school board, the city council, the principals, the teachers and the staffs accountable. Is that fair? I think that’s fair. Andy? COM? Ray?
And guess what CB I’m rooting for all those people to succeed because I still have kids in the system, and I’m a nice guy, but they won’t suceed if they start buying more PR shovellers instead of dealing with the problems straight on.
October 3, 2011 at 10:12 am
Cindy,
As a tax payer and as a parent with a child in the school system, it is my right to voice my opinion. You might call it complaning, but I call it bringing attention to a school system that is failing. That if left to those running it, would just keep acting as if there was nothing wrong. How do we force kids, who have no motovation and no desire to, to do better? Afterall, they see people come into their neighborhoods to paint and clean up after those that live there. Who is there to make them understand self responsibility?
October 3, 2011 at 10:33 am
Doug, agree with your statements on wanting accountability. Less stonewalling, more action and not just toss more money at the issues without having effective defined measures.
We can all agree schools are essential to the image and attracting folks to any village, town or city. I personally cheer about Weems and the recognition it has received as the best of the elementary schools. Lots of innovation over there as in this past summer’s “Lemonade Wars”. And I again point out the Urban Land Institute Technical Assistance Report from October 2010 where Weems was mentioned as a key to the Mathis Avenue Cooridor redevelopment. I am not sure the School Board even looks beyond their own agenda to see what is happening within the LUC – although the Board did get a recent presentation from our Econ & Community Devlopment folks.
AndyH is right about consolidating the PR into one person….and that could extend to other functions/activities by MCPS like stop trying to do your own development and let our fine paid Staff do it up on the 2nd Floor in City Hall.
October 3, 2011 at 10:37 am
COM, have to agree with you on your statement about the 1ByYouth & Six Weeks of Hope events each year. One of my points has been “Ok, what now that they are gone? Where is the development of a “Youth Corps” within those areas?”
So now the first experiment in the “Youth Corps” is happening with GTS and AmeriCorps. By the plan, what happens there is supposed to be exportable to the “other two distressed neighborhoods”. Fine by me with a caveat: AmeriCorps has opened the grant period again, and I sure do hope Neighborhood Services put in another application.
But another point on consolidation in the City: Let’s get one office of Housing & Neighborhood Services. Said that in January this year, and we need it with Housing having the lead. Can’t have neighborhoods without housing, and some of the issues we are encountering are directly related to housing issues, not how nice we can make a neighborhood look.
October 3, 2011 at 11:33 am
I agree with most of what everyone has said. I think that maybe what CB is trying to get at is that, at some point, folks have to get on board and stop just complaining and I agree with that.
HOWEVER: for everyone to get onboard there has to be a structure and a process that has as its result a proposal to the community. A proposal that folks can examine, debate and ultimately support (or not). That process does not currently exist but it is being worked on in preperation for the next round of Education meetings. Everyone here knows how I feel about the schools – we need to first understand why and where we’re coming up short before we craft a plan to go forward.
October 3, 2011 at 11:35 am
@Ray: I suspect that combining those offices might be a good idea but I want to understand the housing aspect at a finer level.
October 3, 2011 at 12:36 pm
My understanding of Tim D’s comment were they were a response to
my comments that the recent stream of negative data from the Virginia
Board of Education and Washington Post needed a public responce from
the MCPS. Is the information accurate? If so, how to we intend to
address the issue? I concluded that the majority of people today
researching anything, including public schools, use the internet and
focus on generally reliable sources. ( Note that the agenda packet included
copies of the stories/data under discussion).
We aren’t seeking PR puff, but public information.
October 3, 2011 at 12:46 pm
Two days after our meeting –
“The state Board of Education announced Thursday that
96 per cent of Virginia’s nearly 2,000 schools are fully
accredited for the 2011-12 school year.”
Osbourn High School isn’t one of them.
Why our only High School failed a standard passed by 96% of Va.
schools certainly needs to explained ASAP.
October 3, 2011 at 1:41 pm
Quit complaining Councilman 🙂 The only question I have for Dr Werner right now is what’s with “it takes a village” meme? Eagle Nation I can handle, but subliminal Hillary Clinton Boosterism, might want to find a less divisive slogan, DOC.
On a lighter note I just heard on NPR that ” a Biologist died three days before learning that he had recieved the Nobel Prize,” thus you learn something new everyday when you listen to NPR , and apparently you can be legally brain dead to do so.
October 3, 2011 at 7:23 pm
Lol!
October 3, 2011 at 9:21 pm
@AndyH…about the combined office, well sometime, let me buy ya lunch and I’ll bring the “guest speaker” who can lay out the plan ’cause ya know a plan be in my hip pocket. 🙂
October 3, 2011 at 9:24 pm
On Schools & PR: The govenment channels (Verizon & Comcast). About once or twice a month I sit down and watch the powerpoint slides roll by, especially on rainy days. I watch the City Government Channel to see what is new (and usually there is something new for the month specific stuff).
I flip over to the School and see the usual I have seen for years, and years, and years. Not much new ever goes up there which leads to the wonder of why MCPS Board & Admin don’t take advantage of it? It is not like it is superhard to make powerpoints…
October 4, 2011 at 6:49 am
Raymond,
Those are liberal feel good groups, and I do not believe they have any long term vision, because anyone knows that if there is always someone else to pick up after you, etc, that does not build someone who is self responsible, it builds someone who sees Government hands outs as a way to get through life. Notice the growing movement to have student loan debt forgiven. Where will it stop?
I do try to help the City school system, I have spoken out a number of times in front of the City Council to rid our City of illegals. I have written letters to the editor in support of polices that remove illegals. I have supported elected officials who support and push policies to remove illegals. I have spoken with school officials about this issue and other issues affecting the school system.
I wonder how many school board members, teachers, and City Council members who are disappointed in test scores and the school budget have been active in fighting to remove illegals from our City? I bet most at least in the school system have either been silent or active in defending illegals. Making their complaints about the test scores and other issues that can be tired directly to too many illegals, hollow and a dog and pony show.
October 4, 2011 at 9:53 am
Award presentation tonight in Richmond:
http://www.jacksonmillerva.com/2011/09/02/city-of-manassas-receives-award/
October 4, 2011 at 9:25 pm
COM, on student loan forgiveness: I took a break in my active duty Army days to go to college from ’79 – ’83, and returned to the Army in ’84 with three years later having my student loans forgiven. Fortunately, as with some of the programs now existing and planned, I did not get hit the year they were forgiven as the balance being taxable income.
Personally, for most of the programs where it can be forgiven, I support it. As for the Neighborhood Youth Corp, my thinking is more along the line of the kids helping the older or disabled neighbors in particular. Got calls last year by folks asking if anyone could shovel snow. In this neighborhood, we used to do that for our elderly. That’s my thinking – teach the kids some citizenship in the neighborhood (like my old Boy Scout Merit Badge says).
October 5, 2011 at 6:32 pm
Raymond,
I paid off my student loans, it took a while, but I knew what I was getting into when I applied for them. And now with the Federal Governement taking over the loan program, it’s our tax money on the line, and to me it just seems like another liberal plan to provide Government hand outs at the expense of tax payers. It does nothing to to teach self responsibilty, and will just cause the Nation to go further into debt.
It’s also a favorite of the folks who are “marching on Wall Street”. So what does that tell you?