Update: Red Clay Board Member, Kim Williams, Replies To Jack Wells
I was actually stunned to find this response in my email this morning. Once again it was copied to everyone.
Jack,
You stated in your below email the following: “As to discussing district spending with you, I am sure those reading your reply to me, have no doubt why that is not an option for me.” come on now Jack, we have a public finance meeting once a month at Brandywine Springs. I have been on the committee for almost three years now and have never seen you attend one meeting. These meetings are open to the public and we all sit around a table and questions are constantly asked to Jill during our meeting and Jill answers all questions very freely and openly. We have a 20 million dollar carry over balance, it so easy for all of us to sit behind our computer and fire off questions, I am guilty of it. Please attend one of our meetings and ask your questions, the meeting is very open, friendly, and informative.
Thank you,
Kim Williams
Red Clay Board of Education
I’m having trouble with Ms. William’s focus on how Mr. Wells didn’t attend a meeting. Is that really the point? I get that it’s a favorite strawman of all organizations. Try and discredit the individual by pointing out that the individual didn’t meet the organization’s expectations for them, while ignoring what the individual actually said.
No one has to attend a meeting to be heard, and to imply that a citizen’s voice only really counts if they go to a meeting (whose date, time and location the citizen has no control over), or that the person doesn’t really care because they didn’t attend a meeting, is merely an attempt to raise the bar on how concerns be addressed and detract from the citizen’s point. Fact: Emailing, writing a letter, phone calling and/or attending a meeting are all equally acceptable options.
My advice to Red Clay… perhaps you shouldn’t continue this discussion online… because you aren’t coming off looking so great. And if you feel you simply must respond, perhaps you could start by addressing Mr. Wells’ data and explain why the figures the public has access to are wrong. Just sayin’
Tags: Education
In my experience, district-run meetings are a terrible place to discuss detailed policy information. Meeting times (and attention spans) are much too short to convey complex technical information you have been researching for months, which is in turn based on a scope of understanding you have been working on for years.
Written communication is much better. But attention spans are too short for that too, and written communications are usually roundfiled or answered superficially. So going public is the way to gather attention onto your detailed policy issue.
Why would Jack need to attend a meeting? The staffing numbers were perfectly clear from the published documents, until Ms. Floore provided different numbers in her email response. Do I have that right? There could be something wrong with Jack’s numbers, but if so Red Clay is free to point it out (with sources).
I think the output of the meetings is published so that most of us don’t HAVE to go to the meetings, right?
Why would Jack need to attend a meeting? The staffing numbers were perfectly clear from the published documents, until Ms. Floore provided different numbers in her email response. Do I have that right? There could be something wrong with Jack’s numbers, but if so Red Clay is free to point it out (with sources).
That’s exactly the point! And one that RCCD hasn’t addressed.
I’ve run into the same thing when I quote the District’s capacity numbers. Oh, you can’t use the capacity numbers we supplied to the state because they’re wrong. How are they wrong? They don’t include such and such. Okay, what are the actual capacity numbers? Our schools are overcrowded! We need a new school! And this isn’t about Choice… except it will be awesome because we’ll have more Choice!
I am rapidly reaching the conclusion that either RCCD doesn’t want the public to have accurate information, or they’re utterly incompetent. Either way, this referendum raised a lot more questions once it escaped the control of Red Clay’s SuperPac, Friends of Red Clay, who were selectively promoting it.
This is why I love reading DL. Seeing a straw man argument demolished so completely is a thing of beauty.
Why thank you, Jason. I wish I could say it was an extremely difficult undertaking, but… it was stupid easy.
I think Red Clay is very much fighting the last war. In particular, the 2001-2002 North Star referendums.
In April 2001, Red Clay held a referendum for two new schools plus district-wide renovations. The referendum was defeated. My impression is that Red Clay was shocked by the defeat, and that is when they raised their PR game and got on message. I bet there were even campaign consultants involved.
The next referendum in 2002 featured only one school (North Star) plus renovations, and was accompanied by the kind of full-court press from the District we are seeing today. That referendum passed, but not by much.
I think that, while they would prefer to pass this on the first try, the double-whammy is very much the game plan for this current referendum.
But voters now have much more information at their fingertips, for those who want it.
Pandora, this has been some awesome blogging on your part. I don’t miss living in Red Clay a bit, but I can’t help but be fascinated with what you’ve uncovered.
Thanks, EK!
If I accomplish anything I’d want it to be… focusing the entire RCCD community on the disparities in Red Clay schools and working together to solve it.
As it stands now, your opinion of Red Clay depends on your feeder pattern.
passionate yes voters will vote. It is hard to get the no-nos to the polls. RCCSD has the tactical advantage. If you’re voting no on either question you must make election day as easy as possible for the no nos to go to the polls….. perhaps advertise polling locations and convince people to take lunch breaks to go vote. YOU CAN VOTE AT ANY RCCSD POLLING LOCATION AS LONG AS YOU ARE A RCCSD RESIDENT, over 18, etc.etc. MUST’NT BE A REGISTERED VOTER IN DE.
What Ms. Williams has done is ratchet up the rhetoric without answering a single question. As Mike O. pointed out, school board meetings are a terrible place to discuss anything in detail. Most boards place a time limit on a single person’s public comments, then give you non-answers to any questions. No one will answer a question without checking first with the board attorney, the board president, their mom, etc. I know, I used to cover school board meetings all the time in a previous newspaper life.
According to the Red Clay website “table of organization,” Pati Nash is still the spokesperson. She should be the public face of the district. The superintendent should be telling her to respond to Mr. Wells and others and answer the questions. And the answers should be honest because no matter what the district might believe, the truth will come out.
I could give the district more PR suggestions, but I’m no charity.
Perhaps Red Clay is taking PR suggestions from Komen, Another Mike? 🙂
Honestly, I was floored when I saw that email this morning – sent out to 101 people, if my count is correct. What was she thinking?
“Reply All” is the devil’s own button.
Come to a Christina meeting. The next time I look to staff for an answer will be the first. We are the elected representative and we owe the public access to our thoughts and actions, period. As for sticking my foot in my mouth: been there, done that, probably will again.
““Reply All” is the devil’s own button.”
lol