What each said (and didn't say) to a League of Women Voters question [See charleston.sc.lwv.org] reveals self-interest versus common sense
LWV: What motivates you to become a member of the County School Board? What experiences have prepared you to serve on this Board?
GREEN: I believe that the Charleston community will only realize its full potential when every child is receiving the benefit of an excellent public education. I am a mother of two children so, like all parents, I have a vested interest in public schools performing at their best.
Yes, two children, one safely at Buist Academy where the other is headed in the future. That's her "vested interest." Guess what, Toya? The entire community, parents or not, have a vested interest! Oh, I forgot--you don't speak for District 20.
GREEN: My election to the Board was for a two year term to complete the unexpired term of a former board member. [so therefore?] I have attended school board member trainings at Harvard University’s Public Education Leadership Project and the National School Board
Association’s Annual Conference in San Francisco.
If prior election to the Board is proof of competence, maybe we need to see what you accomplished during that term--such as alienating District 20 by saying you represented the entire district instead; voting against the James Island High School's charter renewal; and cooperating in the cover-up of malfeasance in the Buist Academy lottery and address verification.
GREEN: I understand the fiscal cycles, academic strategies, and policy governance of school board service. I am in the best position to effectuate academic improvement and more efficient use of resources. ["effectuate"?]
"fiscal cycles"= I follow Gregg Meyers's lead on all financial questions.
"academic strategies"= I'm delighted to send my child to Buist while guaranteeing that other District 20 students do not have the magnet options students do in Mt. Pleasant or West Ashley.
"policy governance"= Following Gregg Meyers's lead again, I'm delighted to vote for policies that pander to special interest groups while ignoring prior Board policies that go forgotten, unrecognized, and unenforced. Selective enforcement: that's my mantra.
STEWART: I have been in the field of education my entire adult life. I taught high school English and Journalism for ten years.
In other words, I actually know what happens inside of schools and what problems teachers face on a day-to-day basis when unprepared students enter high school.
STEWART: I am currently Branch Manager of Village Branch Library in Mt. Pleasant S.C. I see up close and personal the need to educate all of the children.
I'm not in this for personal gain but because of daily contact with students.
STEWART: I am in my tenth year of service on District 20 Constituent School Board, where I have been Chair seven of those years.
I'll put my 10 years of service on the constituent board up against your two any day, Toya. Do you even know what was happening in CCSD 10 years ago?
STEWART: I served as a mentor at Rivers Middle School, member of the Board of Directors of Boys and Girls Club of America and coordinate many Children's activities for the libray system.
Rivers Middle School. You remember that, don't you, Toya? Where is it now? Did the condition of the building deteriorate on your watch?
STEWART: I want to be a voice for the underserved and disconnected.
These are not Green's constituents. She's said so.
Green plans that the vote totals from outside District 20 will guarantee her re-election. We have a fatally flawed system. She may succeed, since she has ingratiated herself to outside voters.
Green's re-election will signify that the residents of District 20 will continue to have no voice on the School Board and to be the dumping ground for students and principals other constituent districts wish to get rid of.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
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3 comments:
I couldn't have said it better myself.
If we had single-member districts, I have no doubt Ms. Toya would lose in a landslide similar to her husband against Sen. Ford.
Unfortunately, it is our responsibility to educate the rest of the county as to who the residents of District 20 want and deserve...MARVIN STEWART.
Name one positive thing Toya Green has backed. She's not even bothered to explain to the voters what CCSD has done or is proposing. Does she really understand what CCSD is doing? She's as bad as a member of the Securities and Exchange Commission overseeing Wall Street. She keeps saying everything is fine when it's going to hell in a hand basket.
We deregulated CCSD and all we get are false promises, disguised failures and investigations after the horse is already out of the barn. Toya Green is just a professional board member and seat warmer. She's absolutely not an informed advocate. She's made it known she's not even a pro-active trustee that bothers to do her own research.
Commercial real estate attorney??!! Give me a break. She wouldn't know a commercial rental rate if it was presented her underlined and in bold print. How she has handled the Math and Science Charter School and the decay now going on in the Rivers main building is an example. She has no idea what a school board member is supposed to do. She's not interested.
Now, the trouble is to get the rest of Charleston County voters to recognize Toya Green as being toxic for the future of our public schools.
Toya Green is a cancer to the school board system; it's obvious that Marvin Stewart is the better candidate, mainly because he has nothing to gain from this professionally or politically, he is doing it for the future of our country, the children!
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