That's what the choice between Nick Zais and Elizabeth Moffly boils down to. [See 2 in Schools Runoff Vastly Different]
Now, I don't know either of these candidates and actually believe that the State Superintendent of Education should be appointed by the governor. (Well, those running for governor talk about improving the schools--how are they going to do it?)
Nevertheless, some stark facts stand out when comparing these two.
- One graduated from West Point and has a doctorate; the other never finished college.
- One wants to improve safety and behavior in the classroom; the other says she had children in public schools for 15 years but doesn't state the reason for homeschooling them now.
- One is interested in more transparent accounting of dollars spent on education; the other hasn't managed to file the campaign finance report that was due more than two weeks ago.
Gee, I wonder which one that could be.
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10 comments:
Definitely pass on Moffly, she had a son that set up a false facebook account impersonating a local Middle School teacher that basically ruined the teachers career and when it came time to punish her kid, she called in the ACLU and threatend legal action, not the kind of person you want running our schools.
Too bad someone didn't have the money or guts to take her on.
So true CCSD just caved in and rolled over
She is basically the Elizabeth Kandrac at the state-wide level.
My hope is her life choices will come to some serious scrutiny.
Hey, you make the wrong comparison. Kandrac at least was and is a teacher with appropriate credentials. Moffly is simply another state-wide election fluke from out of extreme left (or right) field. Too bad we don't know as much about the other members of our local school board.
Credentials do not make a teacher. Ms. Kandrac was a convenient poster child for a lawsuit against the district.
Which it was certainly time for, at that school.
Credentials don't reflect quality school administrators either. Dr. McGinley comes to mind. Wow, with her qualifications you'd think she could walk on water. According to her annual review package she can...she said as much herself. The truth is she can't turn a school around without closing it and calling it a successful reduction of failing schools. What's so troubling is the majority of us in Charleston County seem to have bought the snake oil. So what makes Moffly's credentials (or those of a different sort of poster child like Toya Green) any different?
The culture wars hold our schools hostage. Both political extremes and edublob opertunists are in charge. Our kids pay the price while the experts pig out. Vote the idiots out, but take care that their replacements won't be worse. Who's running for a seat on the local board this time? Are they any better that what we've got? Can they see through McGinley?
Did anyone catch this bit of news from the Left Coast? Parents and public school watchers in Seattle are circulating a "no confidence" petition on their superintendent, who just so happens to be our former superintendent. This is not just a grassroots attempt at venting from the lunatic fringe. It's been reported that the teaching staff at several Seattle schools in Seattle have gone on record as doing the same. According to one school the vote of "no confidence" in Maria Goodloe-Johnson was unanimous (37-1), or at least that's what our board chairman might have called it. However you choose to call it, the vote on their superintendent’s performance is increasingly negative across the board.
Check this out:
http://www.petitiononline.com/S3B62010/petition.html
Is anyone up for a "no confidence" vote on ours before her next performance review? Her performance review, possibly tied to another crazy raise and contract extension, will be right around the same time as the next election?
McGinley is drinking the Kool-Aid and she's serving it to each of us by the gallon.
If you think the last her most recent district performance review pulled the wool over the eyes of most board members, you might want to read the Burke High School report card on the state department of education web site. The school's principal has been a favored member of McGinley's management team. You might want to read Principal Benton's glowing report on the school's progress relating to the school’s most recent report card. He’s either making this up or he’s describing another school. Any way you cut it he can’t be seriously talking about his performance at Burke since his arrival in 2006. After reading his fantasy story, look at the running tally of annual ratings at the school over the last five years. It's a steady spiral downward. Looks just like McGinley’s printed critique of herself presented to the school board last year.
These people must live on another planet or they must think we do. I would vote "no confidence" on Charleston’s entire public school leadership team, starting with McGinley and her entourage. Seattle has the right idea.
It really doesn't matter who the state superintendent is in this state. The position is toothless. Of course some loony tune could it to bring a spotlight on him or her. If the state superintendent had any real authority that office would be able to hold districts like Charleston accountable. As it is everything from budget transparency to school performance can be manipulated with impunity. McGinley can close failing schools and scatter their students without improving anything. She then claims to have reduced failing schools. In Mt. Pleasant she's begun a new twist. Take a successful school, split it in half, and then claim to have increased the number of good schools. Meanwhile, Burke's literacy level falls further. The true costs have been hidden. A tax increase to cover the waste will happen with or without voter approval next November. This was presented as a rare example of transparency that could as easily pass as extortion. The board, at McGinley's direction, has essentially said, "Approve a sales tax for schools or we'll raise the property tax anyway." No state superintendent, however good or bad, will change what CCSD does. The crazier state school leaders are, just might give the Charleston superintendent more cover. By contrast her claims may appear normal.
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