Were you as surprised as I was that the P&C thoroughly investigated CCSD School Board member Elizabeth Kandrac's place of residence? [See Kandrac Takes on District in Sunday's edition.]
After all of the allegations regarding legal residence for Buist students the P&C did not follow up, the story shows that the reporter can do investigations when she has the incentive to do so. Or maybe she was just handed the information by Kandrac's antagonists on the Board.
Certainly, Kandrac appears to be following the letter of the law and not its spirit in her living arrangements these days, but CCSD already set many good examples for her to follow in its treatment of Buist. And what about those rumors over the years that other Board members were not living where they claimed? Down the memory hole?
More problematic is the Board's single-minded agenda to get rid of Kandrac through insinuating that any queries she raises are simply harrassment. Green and Meyers would have the public believe that Superintendent McGinley walks on water and should not be challenged at any point. Have you ever seen either one of them do so on any point?
The goal is to make Kandrac into a caricature that folks outside of North Charleston will vote against if she decides to run again.
Sunday, November 08, 2009
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8 comments:
You are correct about past residency issues that were resolved easily. Didn't JGA claim because he had an office downtown he was able to represent downtown, even though everybody knows he lives in James Island... Call her crazy, call her combative, she's all those things. Is she as crazy as Arthur? Ir appears that crazy is ok but once you start to ruffle feathers and question anything then you're 'combative.'
She is inappropriate in her actions when she visits schools.
I kind of like the part where she annoys some of the higher ups, but don't make her out to be a crusader. She is symbolic of an agenda as sure as some believe Meyers and Hampton to be.
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Off topic, perhaps you could blurb about the Teacher Alliance survey, and the Teacher Alliance, period.
Plenty of fodder for discussion.
As far as I'm concerned Kandrac "making trouble" and the Teacher's Alliance survey results are one and the same. It's just too bad more teachers don't participate in the survey.
Any good teacher who has ever taught at an "at-risk" school knows the routine. The Principal stops by to quietly inform him or her a board member or superintendent will be on campus later in the day and they'll be by to observe whichever class the Principal wants to be seen. If this board doesn't have the common sense to realize unscheduled visits are the way to determine what's really taking place in our schools, God help them all.
Unscheduled visits don't have to be disruptive. Any good teacher knows this and should welcome them any day of the week.
Meyers questioning the residency of another board member is a joke. He's on the West Ashley seat. Then he's on the Mt. Pleasant seat. Then he's running for the Mt. Pleasant seat but it's questionable as to whether he's back in West Ashley or not. Is he really able to question where Kandrac lives with a straight face?
Until we are allowed to have single member districts we'll continue to have elected representatives who are beholden to special interests and not the electorate, parents or the districts they say they represent.
Toya Green has said as much. In her own words about her downtown district, "Why do they keep coming to me? I don't represent these people. I represent the entire county."
Meyers, Green and Fraser are perfect examples of board members whose seats are owned by special interests. It doesn't matter where they live, their sponsors can buy enough votes to get them elected.
At least Kandrac managed to have the name recognition as a fighter and a teacher with courage. She just squeaked past the machine to become one of the most genuine representatives of the entire county. Toya Green would do well to take lessons on representing public interests.
Toya Green doesn't want any lessons. She's perfectly content with her (lack of) knowledge and she's clearly not interested in the public's interests. She probably doesn't even know what that means.
Kandrac can barely use a computer and refuses to have access to email (probably because she's embarrassed that she can't afford access or learn how to use it). In this age, our kids and citizens deserve better than that garbage. Same goes for Ravenel. Take the laptops the district offers you to communicate and quit creating reasons to do business as difficulty as you possibly can.
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