If these allegations prove to be true it’s not really credible to think they happened without Greene knowing about them, unless she was willfully ignorant after imposing her will on her subordinates to “get it done” at any cost. Though even if that wasn’t the case, and there was just a rogue employee it’s still bad management. The thought her number two could carry on in such a way for so long without Greene’s knowledge or approval is troubling to say the least.
DeSantis appoints public education hating politician to lead its public schools
Teacher concerned about the future of education
Tallahassee has a unicorn, a republican that cares about public education
Jacksonville Public Education Fund tells teachers just find a way.
He should have said, Hi, my names Aaron bean my fondest memory of a teacher is when one had to beg the community for supplies because legislators like me refused to adequately fund his classroom, that would have been honest. Geeze JPEF so much for thank a teacher.
Scandal follows Greene from Manatee county
Cynthia Saunders, interim superintendent for the School District of Manatee County, is accused of abusing her power and inflating graduation rates, according to a notice from the Florida Department of Education.
Darryl Willie should resign from Teach for America, he is rife with conflicts of interests
I think many people would disagree with Mr. Willie there but the bigger question is shouldn’t Daryl Willie have to resign from Teach for America? The city charter has a provision that says public workers can’t hold elected offices. Now you might be asking isn’t Teach for America a non profit and the answer is sort of. Tim Groulx a professor at the University of North Florida filed to run against Scott Shine but was later told he would have to resign from UNF if he was elected.
Now this is a city provision and its a little vague so Groulx went to his city councilman Bill Guildford who agreed to introduce legislation defining what a public employee is, in 2022, after Scott Shine, who he said was doing a fine job, was term limited.
A UNF professor, who doesn’t work for the city, who works for the state university system had to choose between his job and being on the school board, ultimately he choose the latter and that brings us to Teach for America.
TFA gets most of its money through Americorps which means most of the money he gets is public money, and gets it to provide teachers to public schools, not private schools, why we don’t give this money directly to school districts is beyond me. So since Willie runs the local office, is paid for with public money and whose entire gig is to provide services to local public schools wouldn’t this make him a public employee?
Now I don’t expect him to resign, like Guildford wanted to protect Shine, the local power structure likes to protects its own, but please explain to my how he should be allowed to serve both on the school board and with TFA? There are numerous potential conflicts of interests with Willie and the district and its not just with TFA, as he has taken tons of money and has numerous close contacts with charter schools as well.
You might be saying, well he should certainly recuse himself if he shouldn’t resign but the truth is he really cared about children and the district then he should let TFA which already on life support in Jacksonville anyway, die, and let me explain why.
What would you tell me if I came to you with the following plan.
Ron DeSantis appoints Swamp Dweller and Political insider to be commissioner of education
Sigh, well it’s not like we didn’t know elections had consequences, but I wonder if my republican friends thought one would be the appointment of a man whose wife runs a charter school, a man who is rife with conflicts of interests, who thumbed his nose at the legislative process and who has done everything in his power to dismantle public education and teaching as a profession, and lets not forget how utterly unqualified for the position he is.
At some point people have to pick a side, the children and teachers and their own self interests or a few rich republicans looking to get richer.
I don’t know what else to say.
The beginning of the end of public education in Florida
Shine just can’t quit Vitti, complains about Becki Couch and Paula Wright
Two of the people who hired Duval Schools Superintendent Diana Greene last summer are set to be hired by her and the rest of the School Board.
Reading that I was a bit taken back, thinking here we go, more high priced special assistants but the thing is if you read the article you find they took positions that they were more than qualified for. What just because someone leaves the board they can’t work in education any more?
I think it was a sad day when Couch and Wright turned off the lights. They had really come to be great advocates and fierce defenders or our schools. I would say they are going to be missed but it turns out we are lucky to still have them.
Scott Shine though had a different take.
From the Times Union:
Former board member Scott Shine, who sometimes clashed with Wright and Couch on board matters over the past four years, said he recently emailed Greene warning that hiring former board members would be “frowned upon by some in the community.”