McGinley's Smoke & Mirrors with Constituent Boards

"All political power is primarily an illusion. . . . Mirrors and blue smoke, beautiful blue smoke rolling over the surface of highly polished mirrors. . . . If somebody tells you how to look, there can be seen in the smoke great, magnificent shapes, castles and kingdoms, and maybe they can be yours." So said Jimmy Breslin in 1975.




Hold up the mirror to Superintendent McGinley's announced reorganization of the associate superintendents' jurisdictions.

Clear away the smoke.



What do you see? Not "magnificent shapes, castles and kingdoms" but naked consolidation of power.

Here's the list published in Tuesday's P & C of "learning communities" that will streamline organization in CCSD:

• The Ashley River Learning Community including elementary schools in Districts 9 (Johns Island), 10 (West Ashley), 20 (downtown) and 23 (Hollywood);
• The Cooper River Learning Community including elementary schools in Districts 3 (James Island), 4 (North Charleston) and 20 (downtown);
• The Middle School Learning Community including most [why not all?] of the district's middle schools as well as Academic Magnet High and Garrett Academy [two high schools in the middle-school community--makes sense to her, I guess];
• The Superintendent's Learning Community including most [why not all?] of the district's high schools;
• The East Cooper and Cooper River Learning Community including the schools Lynda Davis currently oversees — in Districts 1 (McClellanville) and 2 (Mount Pleasant) and [now] District 4 (North Charleston).

Notice anything, District 20 supporters? I'm sure you have. District 20's schools will now be split into four separate "communities" (We're using the word "community" loosely here!). That should help parents know where to go with concerns!

How else to disperse the power of constituent boards but to render them superfluous and their meetings unnecessary for associate superintendents to attend. Great way to encourage dialogue with the community!

But then this "rearranging of the deck chairs on the Titanic" (as one reader puts it) is not about helping students or their parents. It's about bureaucracy. Larry Kobrovsky is too kind in his remarks quoted today. He said, "District leaders may become less responsive to local community members' concerns because officials aren't as connected in their areas." That's the whole idea, Larry! In fact, obviously aiming at helping the poor, "the new configuration means that downtown parents of elementary schoolchildren who have a concern and need to talk with their school principal's supervisor will have to go either to an office in James Island or one in North Charleston to talk about their concerns." Won't that be helpful? Especially if you don't own a car.

In fact, looking another way, you can spot another paradigm shift: if the District 20 schools are split between various "communities," these communities can be counted as "integrated"; in fact, District 20's de facto segregation will be solved with the stroke of a pen. Masterful!

I take it back. It's not smoke and mirrors; it's Through the Looking Glass.

Is it legal?