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Monday, November 19, 2007
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Sunday, November 18, 2007
Boston police plan to search youths' homes for guns - The Boston Globe
Boston police plan to search youths' homes for guns - The Boston Globe Boston police are launching a program that will call upon parents in high-crime neighborhoods to allow detectives into their homes, without a warrant, to search for guns in their children's bedrooms.
Another KDKA Radio Show - Sunday evening
Mark Brentley will be appearing on the Chris Moore Show on KDKA Radio (1020 AM) tonight between 6-7 pm TONIGHT (Sunday)! He said that he wants people to call in with their questions and concerns about the Schenley Issue. I believe the number to call during the live show is: 412.333.KDKAI'm at the Oliver Bath House for an elem school swim practice from 6:30 to 7:30 pm. So, I'm mostly not able to attend.
PLEASE CALL WITH ANY QUESTIONS , CONCERNS, OR COMMENTS!!!!!!
Please forward this message on to the Schenley Supporters.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Schenley High School topic of more letters to the editor in the papers
Letter #1:
We did go to a nice concert today at CAPA. The boys were playing violin with Extreme Strings and Chello Fourte. What a gas.
At the end of the concert, I was not happy to hear all the gushing of thanks for the staff and administration. Sure, the parents got thanked too -- but they don't seem to understand a few important facts. That school is our building. We own it. We operate it. We pay for it. It isn't that of the janitors, the principal nor the superintendent. Certain people get paid -- because we pay them. They are not 'letting us use the building' as the building isn't theirs in the first place. Oh well. I'll rock the boat with another letter another time about that.
The Schenley rushLetter #2 comes from Jen. Jen called into Marty's show Friday (blogged about below.) Her letter ran in the paper today. She is on the front lines in this quest for more info and accountability.
I agree with your Sunday editorial that there are too many unanswered questions about Pittsburgh Public Schools Superintendent Mark Roosevelt's rush to close Schenley High School ("School Test: The City's New Round of Reform Comes With Risk," Nov. 11). The most troubling questions are:
Why tear apart the school district's most positive model of integrated, urban education? Why split the Schenley student body into three separate schools? The proposed Hill District school, in particular, will reinforce the de facto segregation that the Schenley community has worked hard to prevent.
Why have the architectural and construction reports never been made public? Even the PG has been quick to assume that the reports accurately justify the Schenley building's demise, but these documents are not available for public scrutiny.
The district wants to combine students from sixth through 12th grades in one building with no plans to ensure their safety. Why are parents expected to accept the district's plan for these 6-12 schools when there are no finalized plans for us to evaluate?
How will high school students be transported to the Reizenstein and Hill District schools? Right now, there are many Port Authority buses that transport our students to Oakland. There are relatively few routes, however, to the two proposed locations. Why has this situation not been addressed and resolved?
We are expected to accept the district's plans without question or debate. Yet this rush to action looks like another Pittsburgh Promise -- an academic theory that does not involve the community or hold up to careful scrutiny. I urge the school board to delay splitting Schenley into three schools. And I demand that the district present us with real answers, not more empty promises.
JOAN STEVENSON Point Breeze
Show us the proofComments from Amy via email.
I would like to clarify some of my remarks to the press over the last few days. I understand remarks need to be pared down for brevity's sake, but in the process my position has been distorted ("A Compromise for Schenley Students?" Nov. 15).
I am concerned that the Pittsburgh Public Schools and the board are pushing through radical reforms including the creation of 6-12 schools, elimination of neighborhood high schools, allowing uncertified and nonunion people to teach (at Milliones), eliminating Schenley and more -- all without fully informing the public and receiving input on the plan.
Superintendent Mark Roosevelt claims he received information eight weeks ago convincing him the situation at Schenley reached emergency status. Why wasn't that information made public? He claims that research shows 6-12 schools improve achievement. Where can the public see that research? He claims painful reform is necessary. I want him to prove to the district's children and parents that the trauma of having your school disbanded and reformed is necessary and preferable change through an open process that encourages community input and buy-in. My 15-year-old could have gotten those documents posted on Facebook in about 10 minutes. Why can't the school board and the district officials share?
I am not anti-reform. I simply want the board and the district to let the public make informed decisions and not waste more taxpayer money on ineffective reforms.
JENNIFER ENGLAND, Greenfield
Many thanks to Joan and Jennifer for keeping the issues in everyone's mind. Saturday's Post-Gazette printed both letters to the editor. Joan's very clearly listed the main issues:Another meeting was held today. I could not attend.
1. Why tear apart the school district's most positive model of integrated, urban education? The proposed Hill District school will reinforce the de facto segregation that the Schenley community has worked hard to prevent.
2. Why have the architectural and construction reports never been made public? Even the PG has been quick to assume that the reports accurately justify the Schenley building demise, but these documents are not available for public scrutiny.
3, Why are parents expected to accept the district's plan for 6-12 schools when there are no finalized plans for us to evaluate? (Amy's note: and we can find no documentation that combining these age groups is beneficial; we are still searching. If there are any education people out there who have any research sources on this subject, please let me know)
4. How will the high school students be transported to the new Reizenstein and Hill schools?
Jennifer strongly reinforces the point that we NEED accurate information. And she is so right about Facebook; in this electronic age, there is no excuse for not getting information out to the people concerned in a timely manner.
We did go to a nice concert today at CAPA. The boys were playing violin with Extreme Strings and Chello Fourte. What a gas.
At the end of the concert, I was not happy to hear all the gushing of thanks for the staff and administration. Sure, the parents got thanked too -- but they don't seem to understand a few important facts. That school is our building. We own it. We operate it. We pay for it. It isn't that of the janitors, the principal nor the superintendent. Certain people get paid -- because we pay them. They are not 'letting us use the building' as the building isn't theirs in the first place. Oh well. I'll rock the boat with another letter another time about that.
Pittsburgh Man Takes 1st At World Series Of Poker Event - Pittsburgh News Story - WTAE Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh Man Takes 1st At World Series Of Poker Event - Pittsburgh News Story - WTAE Pittsburgh Williams said once he takes care of the taxes, his goals for the winnings are to take the money and put it down on a new condo.Come Live Over Here! Hope the condo is in the city!
Bloomfield-Garfield group still banks on partnership - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Too bad the Dems didn't nominate a county executive who thinks and acts like this.
Bloomfield-Garfield group still banks on partnership - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review He was introduced to Rick Swartz of Bloomfield-Garfield Corp., which eventually would act as an accountant for Garfield Youth Sports, now funded mostly by state and local grants.Rick Swartz could have run for mayor in 2007 and Mark DeSantis could have run for County Executive.
Jones recalled Swartz saying: 'Don't worry about the money. Let's worry about structuring the program, getting some good people. The money will come.'
Friday, November 16, 2007
It's Light Up Night. So,.... I'm spreading some cheer. Seems I was a bit busy when this aired a couple of weeks ago.
Jay Leno, The Sex Pistols and Ron Paul!
Ron Paul 2008 › CNN-YouTube Debate Ad Competition
Ron Paul 2008 › CNN-YouTube Debate Ad Competition: "Create a Ron Paul Ad for the CNN/YouTube Debate!"
Institute for Justice, E.D, Rec Center - Less Government, More Jobs and Freedom for Pennsylvanians
Save Our Gym!
Libertarian Party of Pittsburgh — Less Government, More Jobs and Freedom for Pennsylvanians Pittsburgh residents are all too familiar with “eminent domain”, the constitutionally sanctioned practice where governments take private land for legitimate public uses.Watch the Reason TV show from Drew Carey.
Pro Bono offer to examine Schenley High School was delivered to Mark Roosevelt
They say it will cost $60-million to fix up Schenley High School. They say that Schenley presents safety and asbestos problems. Bigger lies can only be found with the Pittsburgh Promise.
We all know now that the Pittsburgh Promise is a big-fat-hairy lie. Same with Schenley's condition and its value to the region as a high school.
Those reports that flipped the entire high school reform agenda into a crisis condition has NOT been made available to the public for eight weeks.
New news -- a big firm with great experiences and local interests sent a letter to the Superintendent of Pgh Public Schools, Mark Roosevelt, asking for an opportunity to do an evaluation of Schenley in a pro-bono capacity.
What's up with that?
We all know now that the Pittsburgh Promise is a big-fat-hairy lie. Same with Schenley's condition and its value to the region as a high school.
Those reports that flipped the entire high school reform agenda into a crisis condition has NOT been made available to the public for eight weeks.
New news -- a big firm with great experiences and local interests sent a letter to the Superintendent of Pgh Public Schools, Mark Roosevelt, asking for an opportunity to do an evaluation of Schenley in a pro-bono capacity.
What's up with that?
Saving Schenley - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Saving Schenley - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review A suggestion to all those supporters of keeping Schenley High School from being razed: Contact PNC Financial Services Group and tell CEO Jim Rohr to return the $48 million in public subsidies PNC got for its Downtown skyscraper to help offset the renovation of the school.What is his number?
Thursday, November 15, 2007
South Side restaurant fights for sidewalk dining
The system is sure to fail when the pump is primed with folly.
Doug Shields said the need for a public hearing about a fence represents a "failure in the system." Bingo!
We could play pin the tail on the failure.
"A business owner needs to know what the heck the landscape is," Shields said.
Here is a hint at the landscape, Mr. Shields. In the world of Bruce Kraus, expect to see the attitude: "To the victor go the spoils."
Furthermore, Kraus will kick up some dust and that dust won't settle -- unless some others come into the scene to clean it up and charge the taxpayers along the way. Kraus will send dozens of do-nothing deals to the legal department, or to consultants, or to advisors, or to task forces, or to some other new growth of municipal government, if not the county and state. We'll see over-reaching without any grip. The process from the new council-member in D3 will be filled with chatter from him, "Mine, mine, mine... When it breaks, the urgently not mine provision kicks in."
Kraus said he expected the city's legal department would review the matter to create a more precise definition of permanence.
Doug Shields said the need for a public hearing about a fence represents a "failure in the system." Bingo!
We could play pin the tail on the failure.
"A business owner needs to know what the heck the landscape is," Shields said.
Here is a hint at the landscape, Mr. Shields. In the world of Bruce Kraus, expect to see the attitude: "To the victor go the spoils."
Furthermore, Kraus will kick up some dust and that dust won't settle -- unless some others come into the scene to clean it up and charge the taxpayers along the way. Kraus will send dozens of do-nothing deals to the legal department, or to consultants, or to advisors, or to task forces, or to some other new growth of municipal government, if not the county and state. We'll see over-reaching without any grip. The process from the new council-member in D3 will be filled with chatter from him, "Mine, mine, mine... When it breaks, the urgently not mine provision kicks in."
Kraus said he expected the city's legal department would review the matter to create a more precise definition of permanence.
South Side restaurant fights for sidewalk dining - Pittsburgh Tribune-ReviewKraus disagrees. He says structures like the Folino's fence bring the bar scene outside into the public space.
Kraus said he wants to change the perception that East Carson Street is just a place where people go to drink.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL - Blair helping hometown Panthers win
FOX Sports on MSN - COLLEGE BASKETBALL - Blair helping hometown Panthers win PITTSBURGH - Pitt's enormous 6-7, 275-pound freshman center DeJuan Blair grew up in the Hill District, living in a townhouse right behind the VA Hospital just 200 yards from the Peterson Events Center. He began making himself a local legend just a mile up the road at fabled Schenley High School, where he became the best player the city has produced since Sam Clancy — a 6-7, big-boned clone who went on to become an NFL defensive end — from Fifth Ave. in 1977, leading his prep team to a three-year record of 56-0 in city league play and the PIAA 4A State championship his senior year.
Mark Roosevelt on KDKA Radio with Marty Griffin -- 9 am
I'm going to live blog the KDKA Radio show with Marty Griffin and Mark Roosevelt.
I'm sure that Marty won't have me on the show. I've been emailing him about this topic for a few days and he is not able to reply.
On the teaser, they said that it is just about money. The Pgh Public School District just does NOT have the money. Schenley is too expensive. Well, this is NOT true. Every system in Schenley needs a new system Marty said. Well, the outside is in great shape. The windows are only five years old. The plaster is falling off in a few places. That's all.
The building does NOT need air conditioning. It never had it. Many schools don't have air. So what.
The swim pool and athletic complex at Schenley is just 10 or 15 years old. It is NEW -- with the rest of the building.
Schenley was built 91 years ago. When it opened, it was the best public school building in America. Today it is a classic building that can be fixed.
Plus, it costs $31-million to fix up the other schools. It costs MORE to do the silly plan of Mark Roosevelt.
Last night's vote was to hire consultants. CONSULT WITH US FIRST. Consult with the students, the parents, the citizens, the taxpayers, the customers, the neighborhood groups, the city's educators, the alumni.
Marty says no one is screaming about urban education and test scores. Well, Marty would be WRONG. I'm screaming about it. And, I'm on hold. I've been screaming about it.
The implication is that it will take $65M to $85M to fix Schenley. Bull.
Yes, People have mentioned the test scores. Schenley SPARTANS have are one of the best test scores of all PPS Schools. Even the Spartins are tops.
Roosevelt said: No maintance. Everything is original.
Swim pool isn't original.
Windows are not original. Five years old.
Under $45 M says Roosevelt.
Add $6M to annual budget. Have to pay it back.
We have declining enrolement.
Great bones. Great tradition. Honor the sadness of it. Ha.
Eight weeks ago sat with the consultant, Roosevelt said. He didn't release the consultant study. He didn't get a second opinion.
The only ventilation needed is an open window.
Schenley isn't Peabody, Marty! We are fired up about test scores.
We are doing it because the building is collapsing. That isn't the intention. That is the crisis.
The protest is here -- Marty. You don't see it. Treat it as a crisis. It is 'hard work.'
Homework is a part of LIFE, so said Mr. Roosevelt. Well, Mr. Roosevelt has NOT done his homework. He is selling this as a done deal without the homework being delivered to the community.
Marty is talking on and on about Peabody. Well, let's talk about Peabody. Mr. Roosevelt isn't under fire for Peabody. He is under fire for Schenley and the Rightsizing plan, the K-8 that just began and are proven to be broken -- and are being changed again -- and Schenley, Frick, I.B., Reisenstein rehab, Board of Ed building not going for sale, lack of Vo Tech School, moving 6, 7, and 8 into 9-12 settings, moving 6th graders to downtown, putting school buses downtown, etc.
Marty, it would be great to talk about the "Drop Out Factories." That is being missed by Mark Roosevelt now. We are clueless as to what he plans on doing about any of those schools.
With this plan, there could be a way to make the new, proposed Science and Technology school to move within WESTINGHOUSE. But, he isn't doing that. He is blowing an opportunity to make great things come of the poorest performing schools where there were recent rehabs.
I was clicked off the air.
The building has NEW WINDOWS. The building has recently new athletic facilities. They just said that the building was all in its original state! LIES.
I said on the air that the students have to do their homework -- and that the Administration needs to do its homework.
Click.... Marty knocked me off the air and said, "He's gone."
Then he took another call. Mr. Roosevelt had nothing to say about his recent on-air lie.
There NEVER was a 'ventalation system.' It was steam heat and windows. The ceilings are big. The halls are big. Stairwells are everywhere. You don't want to put in a ventalation system.
This "homework" needs to be done and revealed in the conversation.
Call in: 412 333 5352 (KDKA)
Face Facts says Marty Griffin. The consultants have been hired to spend more money. Not to coach the board members. The voters have spoken and the two lame duck board members are changing the history of the district.
Lie again Marty. He says disgusting. Look in the mirror. The aim of the consultants isn't what the radio host talks about on the air.
Marty says, "God bless the kids at Peabody." That 11% of anything is a failure. Seriously. Expand that to an entire high school. Our future rests in these numbers. Marty does put a lot of 'weight' on the school issue. But, he misses the point. Schools matter. Schools matter more than Grant Street.
Caller: Ed, 58 SHS grad. Taxed to the max. Says close SHS. $64M is 64-M reasons to close it. If you want to fix public education, go to vouchers. Send more to private/catholic schools. He was a tutor at Milliones in the past. A few kids can hurt the rest.
Marty would like to start the conversation, so he says. But, he sustains the lie. He doesn't dig into the specifics. I'm not sure who is worse, the media and Marty Griffin or the administration and Mark Roosevelt. The watchdog is barking at the wrong things. The man with the purse strings is spending more money in the wrong directions.
Next caller: Matt, Thank goodness for the option of going to private schools. Spent retirement money of grandma to cover Catholic Schools. Some of this starts at home.
Peabody Principal is on the line.... Stand by....
Sixty plus percent of the students are African American.
John, Principal at Peabody, joins the show. I can tell you one thing. The teachers and community are all united. We are facing the issue head on. We aim to increase the test scores. There are some things that the superintendents put in place to help me. Change is a process, not an event. The support has come from the community.
MG: I don't belive it.
Parents have issues. The community has a wealth of support services. Trying to meet the social needs prior to giving a quality education.
There are external issues. And then there is what we do with them when we have them.
Marty gripes on parents.
Principal is a parent too. We try to help the parents understand and support. Have a homework time. Parents are not the only issue.
We have a mulit-pronged approach, especially in the math.
When they come to us they have a double block of math for 9th grade students. They have a double block to work on English. The test is about meeting certain standards. They are not at the level that the state wants them at that time.
That # is disastrous.
Why are we seeing all the yelling and screaming about the physical building?
Principal: I'm open with PSCC meetings. We move the meetings. We have events. We interact. See the building. We see that these are good kids and we are there to help. The outrage is there. I'm feeling it. I'm pushing the teachers. We have Pitt folks to work with the teachers. Tailor needs. Individualize. We are looking at the scores. We are working on the teaching.
You know the vibe in Pgh. I'm sending my kid to private school. How to overcome that?
Events that invite the public. Symphony. Interact in the building. Education is an issue that goes beyond the school walls. (Schenley is beyond the school walls joy.)
Wants a magic wand. Suspensions have decreased. We are making changes when the 9th grade reaches the 11th grade.
Marty will use Peabody as our petri dish.
Hang with me.... Labor agreement that is going to blow your mind. Marty's mind is blow, fur shore.
Jennifer E is on the show.
Parents are not against reform. Parents want to know about the reform that is being placed on them. The district average is 44%.
There is no proof from Mark Roosevelt.
He got that info 8 weeks ago. He didn't put that info out on a desk for others to see it. No public venting.
Show me something that 6 to 12 is going to work.
Thanks for caring, comes from Marty.
I'm glad I pinged Jen and got her to call into the show. And, I'm glad she hung on the phone to talk to Marty. Now Marty wants her info for later discussions. Jen was quoted in the P-G today. BTW, Jen and I co-taught at BootCamp about net and politics.
Expert, Female guest, a "Doctor": Attendance is up from Westinghouse. Marty's data is wrong. Schools start at 8 am, not 7:30. We can't ignore student achievement. Society is ignoring the crisis. It is a team effort.
Well, a team effort -- needs to have an open playbook.
She said she could fill two pages of notes. Let's not just blame.
Are the parents blowing it off? -- Absolutely not.
We need to create a culture where we need to educate the parent and the student. Mom and Dad have to buy in or nobody succeed. But we have to educate the parents and the kids. It is say, says Marty. But it isn't sad said the expert.
Rumblings that they can close Westinghouse. ?? I'm an educator. I'll fight for the students as their safety is a concern.
Promise me one thing... Encourage more school visits. Everyone is open to visit Westinghouse to see learning is occurring.
I'm sure that Marty won't have me on the show. I've been emailing him about this topic for a few days and he is not able to reply.
On the teaser, they said that it is just about money. The Pgh Public School District just does NOT have the money. Schenley is too expensive. Well, this is NOT true. Every system in Schenley needs a new system Marty said. Well, the outside is in great shape. The windows are only five years old. The plaster is falling off in a few places. That's all.
The building does NOT need air conditioning. It never had it. Many schools don't have air. So what.
The swim pool and athletic complex at Schenley is just 10 or 15 years old. It is NEW -- with the rest of the building.
Schenley was built 91 years ago. When it opened, it was the best public school building in America. Today it is a classic building that can be fixed.
Plus, it costs $31-million to fix up the other schools. It costs MORE to do the silly plan of Mark Roosevelt.
Last night's vote was to hire consultants. CONSULT WITH US FIRST. Consult with the students, the parents, the citizens, the taxpayers, the customers, the neighborhood groups, the city's educators, the alumni.
Marty says no one is screaming about urban education and test scores. Well, Marty would be WRONG. I'm screaming about it. And, I'm on hold. I've been screaming about it.
The implication is that it will take $65M to $85M to fix Schenley. Bull.
Yes, People have mentioned the test scores. Schenley SPARTANS have are one of the best test scores of all PPS Schools. Even the Spartins are tops.
Roosevelt said: No maintance. Everything is original.
Swim pool isn't original.
Windows are not original. Five years old.
Under $45 M says Roosevelt.
Add $6M to annual budget. Have to pay it back.
We have declining enrolement.
Great bones. Great tradition. Honor the sadness of it. Ha.
Eight weeks ago sat with the consultant, Roosevelt said. He didn't release the consultant study. He didn't get a second opinion.
The only ventilation needed is an open window.
Schenley isn't Peabody, Marty! We are fired up about test scores.
We are doing it because the building is collapsing. That isn't the intention. That is the crisis.
The protest is here -- Marty. You don't see it. Treat it as a crisis. It is 'hard work.'
Homework is a part of LIFE, so said Mr. Roosevelt. Well, Mr. Roosevelt has NOT done his homework. He is selling this as a done deal without the homework being delivered to the community.
Marty is talking on and on about Peabody. Well, let's talk about Peabody. Mr. Roosevelt isn't under fire for Peabody. He is under fire for Schenley and the Rightsizing plan, the K-8 that just began and are proven to be broken -- and are being changed again -- and Schenley, Frick, I.B., Reisenstein rehab, Board of Ed building not going for sale, lack of Vo Tech School, moving 6, 7, and 8 into 9-12 settings, moving 6th graders to downtown, putting school buses downtown, etc.
Marty, it would be great to talk about the "Drop Out Factories." That is being missed by Mark Roosevelt now. We are clueless as to what he plans on doing about any of those schools.
With this plan, there could be a way to make the new, proposed Science and Technology school to move within WESTINGHOUSE. But, he isn't doing that. He is blowing an opportunity to make great things come of the poorest performing schools where there were recent rehabs.
I was clicked off the air.
The building has NEW WINDOWS. The building has recently new athletic facilities. They just said that the building was all in its original state! LIES.
I said on the air that the students have to do their homework -- and that the Administration needs to do its homework.
Click.... Marty knocked me off the air and said, "He's gone."
Then he took another call. Mr. Roosevelt had nothing to say about his recent on-air lie.
There NEVER was a 'ventalation system.' It was steam heat and windows. The ceilings are big. The halls are big. Stairwells are everywhere. You don't want to put in a ventalation system.
This "homework" needs to be done and revealed in the conversation.
Call in: 412 333 5352 (KDKA)
Face Facts says Marty Griffin. The consultants have been hired to spend more money. Not to coach the board members. The voters have spoken and the two lame duck board members are changing the history of the district.
Lie again Marty. He says disgusting. Look in the mirror. The aim of the consultants isn't what the radio host talks about on the air.
Marty says, "God bless the kids at Peabody." That 11% of anything is a failure. Seriously. Expand that to an entire high school. Our future rests in these numbers. Marty does put a lot of 'weight' on the school issue. But, he misses the point. Schools matter. Schools matter more than Grant Street.
Caller: Ed, 58 SHS grad. Taxed to the max. Says close SHS. $64M is 64-M reasons to close it. If you want to fix public education, go to vouchers. Send more to private/catholic schools. He was a tutor at Milliones in the past. A few kids can hurt the rest.
Marty would like to start the conversation, so he says. But, he sustains the lie. He doesn't dig into the specifics. I'm not sure who is worse, the media and Marty Griffin or the administration and Mark Roosevelt. The watchdog is barking at the wrong things. The man with the purse strings is spending more money in the wrong directions.
Next caller: Matt, Thank goodness for the option of going to private schools. Spent retirement money of grandma to cover Catholic Schools. Some of this starts at home.
Peabody Principal is on the line.... Stand by....
Sixty plus percent of the students are African American.
John, Principal at Peabody, joins the show. I can tell you one thing. The teachers and community are all united. We are facing the issue head on. We aim to increase the test scores. There are some things that the superintendents put in place to help me. Change is a process, not an event. The support has come from the community.
MG: I don't belive it.
Parents have issues. The community has a wealth of support services. Trying to meet the social needs prior to giving a quality education.
There are external issues. And then there is what we do with them when we have them.
Marty gripes on parents.
Principal is a parent too. We try to help the parents understand and support. Have a homework time. Parents are not the only issue.
We have a mulit-pronged approach, especially in the math.
When they come to us they have a double block of math for 9th grade students. They have a double block to work on English. The test is about meeting certain standards. They are not at the level that the state wants them at that time.
That # is disastrous.
Why are we seeing all the yelling and screaming about the physical building?
Principal: I'm open with PSCC meetings. We move the meetings. We have events. We interact. See the building. We see that these are good kids and we are there to help. The outrage is there. I'm feeling it. I'm pushing the teachers. We have Pitt folks to work with the teachers. Tailor needs. Individualize. We are looking at the scores. We are working on the teaching.
You know the vibe in Pgh. I'm sending my kid to private school. How to overcome that?
Events that invite the public. Symphony. Interact in the building. Education is an issue that goes beyond the school walls. (Schenley is beyond the school walls joy.)
Wants a magic wand. Suspensions have decreased. We are making changes when the 9th grade reaches the 11th grade.
Marty will use Peabody as our petri dish.
Hang with me.... Labor agreement that is going to blow your mind. Marty's mind is blow, fur shore.
Jennifer E is on the show.
Parents are not against reform. Parents want to know about the reform that is being placed on them. The district average is 44%.
There is no proof from Mark Roosevelt.
He got that info 8 weeks ago. He didn't put that info out on a desk for others to see it. No public venting.
Show me something that 6 to 12 is going to work.
Thanks for caring, comes from Marty.
I'm glad I pinged Jen and got her to call into the show. And, I'm glad she hung on the phone to talk to Marty. Now Marty wants her info for later discussions. Jen was quoted in the P-G today. BTW, Jen and I co-taught at BootCamp about net and politics.
Expert, Female guest, a "Doctor": Attendance is up from Westinghouse. Marty's data is wrong. Schools start at 8 am, not 7:30. We can't ignore student achievement. Society is ignoring the crisis. It is a team effort.
Well, a team effort -- needs to have an open playbook.
She said she could fill two pages of notes. Let's not just blame.
Are the parents blowing it off? -- Absolutely not.
We need to create a culture where we need to educate the parent and the student. Mom and Dad have to buy in or nobody succeed. But we have to educate the parents and the kids. It is say, says Marty. But it isn't sad said the expert.
Rumblings that they can close Westinghouse. ?? I'm an educator. I'll fight for the students as their safety is a concern.
Promise me one thing... Encourage more school visits. Everyone is open to visit Westinghouse to see learning is occurring.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Ethics Hearing Board replies with 3 letter from George R. Specter to me, Mark Rauterkus
Letters are dated November 14, 2007. There are three of them.
And, the letter tells us that the City's Ethics Hearing Board is not going to be proactive.
Then the third letter.
So, this letter tells that the City Ethics Hearing Board will do nothing about a candidate for office in a race for a position in the city.
Dear Mr. Rauterkus:
I am writing to you in response to the Complaint which you have filed with the City of Pittsburgh's Ethics Hearing Board against Bruce Kraus. As you know, the Pittsburgh Ethics Code vests the City Solicitor with the initial duty of conducting a preliminary inquiry into the validity of the Complaint. If that preliminary inquiry fails to establish reason to believe that the City provisions have been violated, the Solicitor is to terminate the inquiry and so notify the complainant, the subject of the complaint and the Board.
Accordingly, please accept this letter as official notice that your Complaint against Mr. Kraus is being dismissed for the following reasons:
Lack of jurisdiciton. The Ethics Hearing Board has jurisdiction to hear Complaints alleging violations of the City Ethics provisions. The City Ethics Code is applicable to City officials and City employees. Because Mr. Kraus is not a City employee, the Board lacks jurisdiction to hear a complaint against him.
Prematurity: Your Complaint alleges wrongdoing which has not yet occurred, and many never occur. Therefore it must be dismissed on the grounds of prematurity.
On behalf of the Board, I think you for your interest in the City's Ethics Code.
Sincerely, George R. Specter, City Solicitor
And, the letter tells us that the City's Ethics Hearing Board is not going to be proactive.
Dear Mr. Rauterkus:
I am writing to you in response to the Complaint which you have filed with the City of Pittsburgh's Ethics Hearing Board against Michael Lamb. As you know, the Pittsburgh Ethics Code vests the City Solicitor with the initial duty of conducting a preliminary inquiry into the validity of the Complaint. If that preliminary inquiry fails to establish reason to believe that the City provisions have been violated, the Solicitor is to terminate the inquiry and so notify the complainant, the subject of the complaint and the Board.
Accordingly, please accept this letter as official notice that your Complaint against Mr. Lamb is being dismissed for the following reasons:
Lack of jurisdiciton. The Ethics Hearing Board has jurisdiction to hear Complaints alleging violations of the City Ethics provisions. The City Ethics Code is applicable to City officials and City employees. Because Mr. Lamb is not a City employee, the Board lacks jurisdiction to hear a complaint against him.
Prematurity: Your Complaint alleges wrongdoing which has not yet occurred, and many never occur. Therefore it must be dismissed on the grounds of prematurity.
On behalf of the Board, I think you for your interest in the City's Ethics Code.
Sincerely, George R. Specter, City Solicitor
Then the third letter.
Dear Mr. Rauterkus:
I am writing to you in response to the Complaint which you have filed with the City of Pittsburgh's Ethics Hearing Board against the Ethics Hearing Board. As you know, the Pittsburgh Ethics Code vests the City Solicitor with the initial duty of conducting a preliminary inquiry into the validity of the Complaint. If that preliminary inquiry fails to establish reason to believe that the City provisions have been violated, the Solicitor is to terminate the inquiry and so notify the complainant, the subject of the complaint and the Board.
Accordingly, please accept this letter as official notice that your Complaint against the Ethics Hearing Boards is being dismissed for the following reasons:
Your Complaint alleges that the City's Ethics Code is itself unethical insofar as it requires that Complaints be kept confidential. The Code rpovision to which you refer was enacted by City Council in 1990. Though the Board can request changes to the City Ethics Code, the Board has no authority to change the Code without Council approval.
A Complaint to the Board is an inappropriate forum for your challenge. Unless and until it is changed by Council, the Board intends to abide by the law as it is written.
On behalf of the Board, I think you for your interest in the City's Ethics Code.
OMG: 90 years of educational advancement got plastered tonight by six, white idiots rushing to rash decisions
In related news, 30,000 people around the city can being to pack their homes and head for the burbs.
Six white folks gave the 'green light' to spend $30-million for two inferior projects. Meanwhile, the crown jewel high school, Schenley (sorry Dice and CAPA), gets the boot.
The vote was six to three. Six white folks voted with the Superintendent, Mark Roosevelt. Three black board members voted no.
The meeting was fully of flaming goofiness. It is hard to describe how silly the statements were and how many lies were said.
Lame duck members of the board voted to change the course -- and they have no business putting these radical changes into place now.
For instance, Dan R, the guy who wouldn't shake my hand at the Columbus Day Parade, said that this was a hard decision. However, he needed to vote with his head, not his heart. So, he voted to shut down Schenley because of the costs. But Dan, you were voting with your wallet -- not your head. I wish you voted with your head as you'd have voted to keep the smart school in place. Dan R voted for tax reasons -- and he is moving out of the city.
To vote and say your priority is to be "fiscally prudent" -- fine. But, don't go ahead and give approval for spending of an additional $30-million. To be fiscally purdent is great. But, the vote with the majority isn't prudent at all. It is expensive. It is rushed. It is without documentation. It is without accountability. It is built upon hype that has not been proven. It is a lie.
Another board member talked about 'lies.' Ms. Theresa C hinted at the closing of South Vo Tech. That is an area that I've been talking about to anyone who listens. The lie that she wanted to expose is that South Vo Tech was closed so that the Pgh Public School district could get ahold the the property and sell it. She said that they can't sell South Vo Tech. South isn't selling. So, those that had said that it was closed to be turned for its real estate value are liars.
Well, that has never been my claim.
Furthermore, there are many who say that Schenley is being closed now so that it can be sold for profit.
But this reasoning makes no sense as it ties to the vote.
South Vo Tech is a big empty building in a booming (sorta) neighborhood. The building is owned by the Pgh Public Schools. It is a sink and can't be sold. It is like many of the other 20-or-so buildings throughout the city in various neighborhoods in various states of decay and with various levels of potential.
South Vo Tech has little or no value to the district as the marketplace is so depressed. The rehab of the historic structure is going to be costly for the next owners. Parking is scares, etc., etc.
Granted.
However, South Vo Tech had GREAT VALUE as a school. The School District sent hundreds of kids out of the building to flunk out.
South Vo Tech isn't valuable as a real estate transaction and taxable income location. The value of South resides in the hundreds of kids that should graduate from that school each and every year with solid trade skills and a high school degree.
Jumping to tonight's decision to close Schenley -- the same holds true. Perhaps the historic, mega building in Oakland with brand new windows will not be sold -- just as South Vo Tech and the other dozen of prime buildings can't be sold. Cash for the property might not be driving the decision. So, don't abandon the building.
They voted to walk away from a classic educational institution that is in the heart of the educational center of the region -- with little hope of selling the building. More money goes out the window. More missed motivations. More lunacy.
The "lie" isn't in the value of the building as a re-sale property for the district. And, the "truth" isn't in the value of Schenley as it becomes vacated. The value in the building that we all know as Schenley High School is in its use as a school.
Thousands of families live in Pittsburgh because of Schenley High School. Closing of Schenley has become a 'lay-up' tonight. Hence, 30,000 people are now headed for the borders!
People will vote with their feet. The middle class of Pittsburgh is now much poorer.
This decision was called by one objecting board member as "borderline child abuse." I agree.
I will do all I can from this day forward to make sure that Patrick Dowd never wins another election in this city. Same too for Bill Isler, Theresa Colaizzi, Jean Fink, and Skip McCrea.
They worked since July 2006 on High School Reform. Theresa Colaizzi was sure to ask Mark Roosevelt when that effort began and when the group formed. They talked about the models and did the research. However, everything got chucked aside just weeks ago. That group didn't plan on closing Schenley this year. They had called for the opening of a new school, grades 6 to 12, for science and technology.
The new Science and Technology magnet school, for middle and high grades, should be opening next year -- and it should be put into WESTINGHOUSE High School. Recently, the Pgh Public Schools rebuild and invested tens of millions in Westinghouse. However, the student population and the programs offered there are light.
Rather than putting money into another program -- put the new programs into the places where the building is already available. There is a bunch of capacity at Westinghouse.
Furthermore, CAPA Rodgers, a city-wide magnet, presently resides in Homewood. That is near the under-utilized Westinghose HS. CAPA Rodgers works as a school. People send their kids to CAPA Rodgers, even in a tough neighborhood. Same too can be delivered and developed at Westinghouse with a Science and Technology program.
But NOOOOOOO!
They want to take apart Frick Middle School and turn that into a 6-12 school. It is a middle school -- not a high school. Frick works.
They are wasting money.
They are wasting educational opportunities.
They are wasting past investments.
They are making haste and more waste.
They are yanking families around -- and the families will depart the city.
They are moving the specialized educational programs out of Homewood with the move away from CAPA Rodgers into downtown.
Meanwhile, the district is buying more building space in the downtown location on 9th Ave. within CAPA (Creative And Performing Arts High School). That's spending more money and putting 6th graders and/or school buses on downtown streets. Blueprints and plans were in place to move the middle school to The Hill. Now that plan is off. Those changes are costly too.
Let's see what the PG, Trib and the TV news reports look like.
This doesn't seem right. Moving the school next year as a whole unit into another building is what they seem to want to do now. That move would keep Schenley as a community for a few years as those in the school graduate with their classmates. Schenley, as we know it, is still dead.
It would be better, in my opinion, to close Schenley over the years and keep the kids in Schenley throughout the next years.
KDKA TV news:
More pointes:
Six white folks gave the 'green light' to spend $30-million for two inferior projects. Meanwhile, the crown jewel high school, Schenley (sorry Dice and CAPA), gets the boot.
The vote was six to three. Six white folks voted with the Superintendent, Mark Roosevelt. Three black board members voted no.
The meeting was fully of flaming goofiness. It is hard to describe how silly the statements were and how many lies were said.
Lame duck members of the board voted to change the course -- and they have no business putting these radical changes into place now.
For instance, Dan R, the guy who wouldn't shake my hand at the Columbus Day Parade, said that this was a hard decision. However, he needed to vote with his head, not his heart. So, he voted to shut down Schenley because of the costs. But Dan, you were voting with your wallet -- not your head. I wish you voted with your head as you'd have voted to keep the smart school in place. Dan R voted for tax reasons -- and he is moving out of the city.
To vote and say your priority is to be "fiscally prudent" -- fine. But, don't go ahead and give approval for spending of an additional $30-million. To be fiscally purdent is great. But, the vote with the majority isn't prudent at all. It is expensive. It is rushed. It is without documentation. It is without accountability. It is built upon hype that has not been proven. It is a lie.
Another board member talked about 'lies.' Ms. Theresa C hinted at the closing of South Vo Tech. That is an area that I've been talking about to anyone who listens. The lie that she wanted to expose is that South Vo Tech was closed so that the Pgh Public School district could get ahold the the property and sell it. She said that they can't sell South Vo Tech. South isn't selling. So, those that had said that it was closed to be turned for its real estate value are liars.
Well, that has never been my claim.
Furthermore, there are many who say that Schenley is being closed now so that it can be sold for profit.
But this reasoning makes no sense as it ties to the vote.
South Vo Tech is a big empty building in a booming (sorta) neighborhood. The building is owned by the Pgh Public Schools. It is a sink and can't be sold. It is like many of the other 20-or-so buildings throughout the city in various neighborhoods in various states of decay and with various levels of potential.
South Vo Tech has little or no value to the district as the marketplace is so depressed. The rehab of the historic structure is going to be costly for the next owners. Parking is scares, etc., etc.
Granted.
However, South Vo Tech had GREAT VALUE as a school. The School District sent hundreds of kids out of the building to flunk out.
South Vo Tech isn't valuable as a real estate transaction and taxable income location. The value of South resides in the hundreds of kids that should graduate from that school each and every year with solid trade skills and a high school degree.
Jumping to tonight's decision to close Schenley -- the same holds true. Perhaps the historic, mega building in Oakland with brand new windows will not be sold -- just as South Vo Tech and the other dozen of prime buildings can't be sold. Cash for the property might not be driving the decision. So, don't abandon the building.
They voted to walk away from a classic educational institution that is in the heart of the educational center of the region -- with little hope of selling the building. More money goes out the window. More missed motivations. More lunacy.
The "lie" isn't in the value of the building as a re-sale property for the district. And, the "truth" isn't in the value of Schenley as it becomes vacated. The value in the building that we all know as Schenley High School is in its use as a school.
Thousands of families live in Pittsburgh because of Schenley High School. Closing of Schenley has become a 'lay-up' tonight. Hence, 30,000 people are now headed for the borders!
People will vote with their feet. The middle class of Pittsburgh is now much poorer.
This decision was called by one objecting board member as "borderline child abuse." I agree.
I will do all I can from this day forward to make sure that Patrick Dowd never wins another election in this city. Same too for Bill Isler, Theresa Colaizzi, Jean Fink, and Skip McCrea.
They worked since July 2006 on High School Reform. Theresa Colaizzi was sure to ask Mark Roosevelt when that effort began and when the group formed. They talked about the models and did the research. However, everything got chucked aside just weeks ago. That group didn't plan on closing Schenley this year. They had called for the opening of a new school, grades 6 to 12, for science and technology.
The new Science and Technology magnet school, for middle and high grades, should be opening next year -- and it should be put into WESTINGHOUSE High School. Recently, the Pgh Public Schools rebuild and invested tens of millions in Westinghouse. However, the student population and the programs offered there are light.
Rather than putting money into another program -- put the new programs into the places where the building is already available. There is a bunch of capacity at Westinghouse.
Furthermore, CAPA Rodgers, a city-wide magnet, presently resides in Homewood. That is near the under-utilized Westinghose HS. CAPA Rodgers works as a school. People send their kids to CAPA Rodgers, even in a tough neighborhood. Same too can be delivered and developed at Westinghouse with a Science and Technology program.
But NOOOOOOO!
They want to take apart Frick Middle School and turn that into a 6-12 school. It is a middle school -- not a high school. Frick works.
They are wasting money.
They are wasting educational opportunities.
They are wasting past investments.
They are making haste and more waste.
They are yanking families around -- and the families will depart the city.
They are moving the specialized educational programs out of Homewood with the move away from CAPA Rodgers into downtown.
Meanwhile, the district is buying more building space in the downtown location on 9th Ave. within CAPA (Creative And Performing Arts High School). That's spending more money and putting 6th graders and/or school buses on downtown streets. Blueprints and plans were in place to move the middle school to The Hill. Now that plan is off. Those changes are costly too.
Let's see what the PG, Trib and the TV news reports look like.
This doesn't seem right. Moving the school next year as a whole unit into another building is what they seem to want to do now. That move would keep Schenley as a community for a few years as those in the school graduate with their classmates. Schenley, as we know it, is still dead.
It would be better, in my opinion, to close Schenley over the years and keep the kids in Schenley throughout the next years.
Plan calls for keeping Schenley open until current students graduate
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
By Joe Smydo, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Pittsburgh Public Schools Superintendent Mark Roosevelt tonight announced a change of plans for the district's high schools, saying he wants to keep Pittsburgh Schenley High School open until all of its current students have graduated.
He made the announcement at a school board meeting 24 hours after about 250 people, including dozens of students, rallied outside school district offices to demand the school remain open.
Mr. Roosevelt said he wants to move the school, intact, to the former Reizenstein Middle School building in Shadyside in the fall. He would close Schenley once all current Schenley students have graduated. Schenley won't accept any fresmen next school year; those students would be assigned to other schools.
Mr. Roosevelt said the Schenley building in Oakland must be closed because of maintenance problems. Last month, he proposed reassigning students to three other buildings as part of a broader plan for improving district high schools.
KDKA TV news:
kdka.com - School Board Votes To Approve Consultants For Schenley High School Closure Pittsburgh Public School board members voted to move forward with the initial step of the proposed closing of Schenley High School.
In a 6-3 vote, the board approved a measure that will hire engineers and architects for preliminary consulting work.
More pointes:
Board Votes To Hire Consultants For Schenley HS
KDKA - Pittsburgh,PA,USA
Read more in our Privacy Policy Pittsburgh Public School board members voted to move forward with the initial step of the proposed closing of Schenley High ...
Angry debate follows Pittsburgh school vote
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review - Pittsburgh,PA,USA
Opponents of the nearly $4 million in spending viewed the decision as the first step in closing Schenley High School in Oakland, because $450000 was ...
Chester's Robinson signs with Pittsburgh
Caught in the Pittsburgh middle (school)?
Philadelphia Daily News - Philadelphia,PA,USA
He played a key role in helping Chester reach the PIAA Class AAAA state championship last spring, where it lost to Schenley, 78-71, despite 15 points from ...
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review - Pittsburgh,PA,USA
Superintendent Mark Roosevelt recently proposed closing Schenley High School, a traditional grade 9-12 school in Oakland, and shifting its students to ...
OpenOffice.org add on aids in advancing Creative Commons designations on documents
PRESS RELEASE: Creative Commons Releases Add-in Support for OpenOffice.org
San Francisco, CA — November 14, 2007
Today Creative Commons released an Add-in for OpenOffice.org which allows users to select and embed a Creative Commons license in documents. Based on work completed as part of the Google Summer of Code by Cassio Melo, the add-in supports Writer (word processing documents), Calc (spreadsheets) and Impress (presentations).
Google Summer of Code provides students with funding to work on open source software between May and August. During summer 2007, Cassio worked on developing the basic OpenOffice.org add-in. Cassio was mentored by Nathan Yergler, Creative Commons CTO, and generously supported by Google's Open Source programs. “Cassio provided a great foundation for us to build on and maintain. I'm thrilled to finally be able to offer support for OpenOffice.org,” said Yergler.
The Add-in is available without charge, and is licensed under the GNU General Public License. Download information and links to source code are available at http://wiki.creativecommons.org/OpenOfficeOrg_Addin.
About Creative Commons
Creative Commons is a not-for-profit organization, founded in 2001, that promotes the creative re-use of intellectual and artistic works, whether owned or in the public domain. Through its free copyright licenses, Creative Commons offers authors, artists, scientists, and educators the choice of a flexible range of protections and freedoms that build upon the “all rights reserved” concept of traditional copyright to enable a voluntary “some rights reserved” approach. Creative Commons is sustained
by the generous support of organizations including the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Omidyar Network, the Hewlett Foundation, and the Rockefeller Foundation, as well as members of the public. For more information about Creative Commons, visit http://creativecommons.org.
Bet On It: Had Carlisle Been Mayor, She Would Have Still Won Election
When new Pittsburgh Mayor Bob O’Connor was sworn into office in January, 2006, city council was a flutter with controversy as to who would be the next council President. Former President Eugene Ricciardi had won election to a District Justice post, thus leaving that position open.
Had experience meant anything, councilman Bill Peduto would have been a “no-brainer” to succeed Ricciardi and lead council; however, qualifications have almost never meant anything on Grant Street. More than anything—perhaps on planet Earth — Pittsburgh politics is about who you know, who you’re related to, and above all else, you’re a union-shilling, economics-be-damned Democrat.
Peduto would not be President of Pittsburgh City Council because he dared oppose O’Connor for Pittsburgh’s top job (we’ll exclude Steelers Coach), despite the King maker’s “next-in-line” designation. O’Connor’s long-term right-hand man Doug Shields had orders from above that prohibited Peduto from being council chief. Shields reportedly wanted the job for himself back then, but at the time was unable to muster the votes, especially with a ticked Peduto holding a salvo or three. [Shields now serves as Council President.]
Councilman Jim Motznik was the self-appointed front-runner for the Presidency. Motznik assumed he had the post locked up, but years before the former Public Works muck-raker quite spryly bolted from a television reporter’s camera over some rather routine questions of the day, and promised to resign from Council to assist Hillary Clinton’s Presidential campaign (the clock still ticks on that vow). With assertions like those, Motznik’s growing political irrelevance made his ascension impossible (to Motznik’s credit, he did narrowly win re-election after those gaffes).
A quick scan of the remaining Council members from the time proved nearly all others to be “too new” or privy to political alienation for one reason or another.
At the same time there were quiet whispers that Twanda Carlisle wanted the largely ceremonial engagement. She would have been an aesthetically-pleasing choice: youthful for a Pittsburgh politician (despite the fact it’s difficult to find anything about her age: we’ll guess she’s 46), attractive in that “looking beyond you into the abyss” sort of way, and African American.
For at least one second, Carlisle was being considered for President of Pittsburgh City Council.
Instead, an even younger upstart — who was born up-to-his-neck in Pittsburgh political lineage — was ultimately considered a “safe choice,” albeit hand-picked from the flock by O’Connor. North Side resident Luke Ravenstahl was selected for Pittsburgh City Council President only because no one else had the necessary votes.
Then tragically, O’Connor was effectively out of the Mayor’s post before the first pitch of the MLB All-Star Game at PNC Park on July 11, 2006.
The waiting game was on. As days became weeks, it was clear that something was not right with the hospitalized Bob O’Connor. He passed away on September 1, 2006.
Ravenstahl was jettisoned to national prominence almost immediately and he quickly proved to be the epitome of the none-too-worldly-wise 26-year-old who was far more interested in trips to the Late Show with David Letterman (where Luke admitted on television that city police looked the other way when it came to ticketing Ben Roethlisberger after the infamous motorcycle accident) and crashing parties with the elite of the elite (he drove a Homeland Security SUV to visit Tiger Woods at the suburban Oakmont for the U.S. Open). Ravenstahl was also photographed with Sienna Miller, the 25-year-old actress with a face of a Pop Culture Godess and mind of mushy squid when she risked ire of Cleveland Browns-fan proportions by calling the city a bad name.
The city’s fortunes could have been far more interesting had Twanda Carlisle been handed the role that—at the time—was a harmless license to appear on one of the public access channels and crow about being perhaps the city’s highest-ranking African American female city official EVER. Her predecessor, Valerie McDonald Roberts never made it to council President, largely because O’Connor held the post when she was in office. Roberts, who previously served on the Pittsburgh School Board, eventually moved to a lower-profile Allegheny County post. That was too bad because she would have been an ideal standard bearer had she received the chance.
Imagine Carlisle had the opportunity to serve as council President when O’Connor was prominently shown hanging Wi-Fi equipment downtown, in a ceremonious photo op that ultimately would become his final public appearance.
Instead of a frightened Luke Ravenstahl being sworn in as Mayor that late summer evening, it was “that close” to being the glassy eyed Carlisle (did she ever have any other expression?), hand on Bible, accepting the reigns of running the Commonwealth’s only interesting major market city.
Pretend for a mili-second that Twanda Carlisle was the Mayor.
Somewhere along Carlisle’s employ, she decided that the city’s bloated coffers were in fact a secret slush fund for anyone of her acquaintance.
Reports leaked with Carlisle purchasing books of questionable political merit, then escalated to an expensive fur coat and vacations abroad. Worst of all, Carlisle’s mother’s boyfriend received $29,000 to brazenly plagiarize a University of Pittsburgh study and shoehorn it around his own rinky-dink, narrow-minded, quasi-idiotic ideas. Assuredly, no one would read the examination of healthcare, religion and politics in Twanda’s 9th Council District, but the story of fraudulent intrigue had already spread. Local media eagerly awaited the tome’s release. It didn’t disappoint. The “study” turned out to be a hodge-podge of mystification that made the CBS News’ “Memo-Gate” that dethroned news hierarchy Dan Rather look Einsteinian in comparison.
That and other crackpot expenditures quickly drew the attention of the federal government, namely United States Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania Mary Beth Buchanan.
What would have occurred had Carlisle been Mayor when the stories of misappropriation of funds been made public?
It depends on when the story broke.
If Carlisle had been Mayor, certainly up for election, it would have been interesting to see if Bill Peduto would have waged a challenge. The city’s only real “Reform Democrat” with fiscal-conservative leanings, Peduto remains Pittsburgh’s best choice to remain relevant; nevertheless, he’s not subservient to the Special Interest Groups (a.k.a. public sector unions) that control the city with the most selfish of Socialist contentions. Keep in mind, even an elementary understanding of real-world economics has almost never been a strong suit of Pittsburgh City Council in 70 years.
A thinking man’s candidate—even a Rust Belt Democrat—has no chance against a free-spending, Devil-Wears-Prada-on-public-dime empty power suit.
Fact is, those who dominate the voting block in the city probably wouldn’t sweat had there been pending federal action against the “supposed” Mayor Carlisle administration with Republican Mark DeSantis in the race.
All Carlisle’s handlers would need to do is parrot DeSantis’ Republican registration over and over again and punctuate the proof that Buchanan is also a member of the Grand Old Party.
Carlisle could have bested DeSantis by an even larger margin than Ravenstahl because of her gender, ethnicity, willingness to sign big checks to the unions and simplistic party affiliation.
The “Sheep” would continue to pull the party line, the donkeys would assuredly bray. Carlisle will need to pay back more than $40,000 in embezzled taxpayer cash.
That being noted, there’s little double that the city’s naïve voting electorate would still endorse a convicted felon to Mayor of Pittsburgh over a Republican, regardless of his or her qualifications. Lynn Swann, one of the most beloved Pittsburgh Steelers of all time wasn’t given a fair shot by Pittsburgh voters in his race for Governor because of his voter registration.
In 2007, it’s plainly that dire on Grant Street. With DeSantis dispatched and Peduto quiet on the sidelines, all of the great potential leaders on the current landscape have been vanquished.
At least Carlisle won’t be governing with an ankle bracelet anytime soon.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Schenley High School allies plan for a fight - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
The sign I made and carried at the rally, and what a great protest it was, read on the front:
Consult us first.
Back:
Keep Frick in Oakland.
Say that five times fast.
Frick students spoke and did a wonderful job. Same too with the SHS students, teachers, coaches, parents, alumni, educational advocates and community folks.
I am a Libertarian that believes in Public Education.
Consult us first.
Back:
Keep Frick in Oakland.
Say that five times fast.
Frick students spoke and did a wonderful job. Same too with the SHS students, teachers, coaches, parents, alumni, educational advocates and community folks.
I am a Libertarian that believes in Public Education.
Schenley High School allies plan for a fight - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review The other key date is Dec. 19, when the board is scheduled to vote on a capital budget of $41.7 million for 2008. That budget includes $14.2 million for reopening Reizenstein, $11 million for reopening Milliones and $3 million for moving Schenley's robotics program to Peabody High School.
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