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Discussion: Citizen Jonesey

it took a while but...

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Discussion: What does Putin want (and whatabout it)

nan said:

The West planned this war and helped bring it about.

Has anyone ever "planned a war" which depended on the other party to execute an invasion?

Serious question.

Because the whole premise seems pretty absurd.

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Discussion: Ian -- Local Effects

Remnants of Tropical Storm (formally Hurricane) Ian are likely to pass south of the area this weekend, bringing rain and moderately gusting winds. A complex high pressure zone should keep the bulk of the rain south of us, but we could still see an inch or two, most likely on Saturday afternoon. Winds would likely be in thee 10 - 15mph range with 20 -25mph gusts.

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Discussion: Board of Education

the18thletter said:

sac said:

I personally do not believe that there is any moral obligation whatsoever in cases where people choose to send their (non-special-needs) children to private school. We should be using taxpayer funds for public schools or for alternatives that are needed for those with special needs, not for those who just make a different choice.

Maybe the school portion of property taxes can be refunded to parents who choose to send children out of district while enrolled out of district? 

It doesn't work that way, just as the fire department portion of your taxes is not refunded if your house doesn't catch fire or any other service that you don't end up using.

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Discussion: Ian -- Local Effects

Friday, Sept 30th.

A ridge of high pressure north of our area will help direct the core remnants of Ian into the Ohio Valley this weekend, but outflow moisture from the system running along the southern boundary of the high is likely to bring steady rain most of the day Saturday and moderately gusty winds in the 20 - 25mph range from Saturday afternoon through Sunday. Total rain over the two days likely to be 1.5 to 2 inches. A heavy shower or two is a possibility, but risk of flooding is low.

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Discussion: Meet the Mets (For Mets Fans Only!)

I'm so misunderstood. :-( 

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Discussion: Board of Education

yahooyahoo said:

DanDietrich said:

I'm willing to accept that every candidate is intelligent, experienced in some related field, and qualified.  Unfortunately I don't know how any of them would deal with issues like paying for bussing, maintenance and programming on a limited budget.  We have to pay our faculty and staff appropriately,inflation is eating in to the budget, and there is a 2% tax cap.  What gives?

This is a big issue.  Every year we have candidates that are smart, experienced in their own fields, and well intentioned. These traits do NOT translate into success as a productive member of the BOE.  We have a long list of BOE members that flamed out.

A frustration I have is that candidates run too heavily on their career & family status and are reluctant to talk about their policy views.  This tendency is extreme in Village Green endorsements, where the endorsements are frequently 99-100% biographical, with barely a note on the policy rationale that is the real motivation for the endorsement.  Sometimes Village Green endorsements come down to "Vote for X, he has two children, has volunteered at Y organization, and has chosen to live in our community."  The endorsements are incredibly inconsistent/hypocritical if you follow them year-to-year, eg, I doubt that many people who endorsed Qawi Telesford because he is a CHS grad will do the same for Bill Gifford, although Bill Gifford is just as progressive.

For this campaign, I think Pancholy and Meyer campaigning more heavily on biography than Wilson, Eckert, and Gifford.  Pancholy & Meyer's Village Green statement is 100% biographical and could be written by candidates in any district, whereas Bill Gifford and Regina Eckert were specific SOMSD policy and then biography, including statements showing that they disapprove of the district's incompetence and callousness in transportation and prohibiting transfers.  Nubia Wilson's July statement was biographical, although in 2021 she wrote a great piece on the district's communication failure.  The WEG joint statement also talks about turnover among staff, the achievement gap, Covid problems, and terrible governance by the BOE itself.

On the Pancholy & Meyer webpage they do have policy, but the tone is that the BOE's existing efforts are sufficient.  

Being a "good" board member is a subjective thing, but I don't think lawyers have had any more success than non-lawyers.  If we measure success electorally and by commitment, of the five people recently to serve three terms, Lynne Crawford, Wayne Eastman, Andrea Wren-Hardin, Beth Daugherty, and Johanna Wright, not a single one was a lawyer (although Eastman had a law degree).  

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Discussion: Happy 5783!!

Wishing you all a sweet and fruitful, healthy New Year! May your apples be juicy, your honey sweet and not too runny, and your guests and neighbours helpful and loving. 

Shana tova!

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Discussion: Board of Education

DanDietrich said:

I'm willing to accept that every candidate is intelligent, experienced in some related field, and qualified.  Unfortunately I don't know how any of them would deal with issues like paying for bussing, maintenance and programming on a limited budget.  We have to pay our faculty and staff appropriately,inflation is eating in to the budget, and there is a 2% tax cap.  What gives?

This is a big issue.  Every year we have candidates that are smart, experienced in their own fields, and well intentioned. These traits do NOT translate into success as a productive member of the BOE.  We have a long list of BOE members that flamed out.

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Discussion: Ian -- Local Effects

boookwormnj said:

so how bad is it gonna be this weekend? seems bad

Nah, just a rainy weekend here

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