Isn’t it well past the time to confess
That there really is no “fiscal distress?”
Crisis in the PCSSD
This blog now has a new, anonymous blogging-team. In our struggle, it is important to keep them Guessing. The PCSSD is the Pulaski County Special School District in Little Rock, Arkansas. The crisis is a labor/management conflict.
The related "Team C.A.P." Blog / The C.A.P. Petition / Small preview-pics of past posts / Questions?
-
A question for the PCSSD, and those attempting to ru(i)n it:
-
A song, by the Violent Femmes, about people who have a severe credibility gap.
A credibility gap can be created by many things. A “fiscal distress” claim about a school district that projects an ending fund balance of over $26 million dollars, for the current year, is DEFINITELY one such thing!
It’s time to tell the truth.
-
-
#HB1770 is now before the #Arkansas #Senate #Education Committee. Please help defeat this bad bill!
If you’ve already e-mailed members of the Senate Education Committee to ask them to vote against HB1770, thank you! If you’ve signed the petition about it, thank you! Can more be done? YES — you can call them! Here are their phone numbers.
Sen. Jason Rapert, 501-336-0918
Sen. Joyce Elliott, 501-603-9546
Sen. Alan Clark, 501-262-3360
Sen. Johnny Key, 870-425-5200
Sen. Uvalde Lindsey, 479-444-6752
Sen. Jim Hendren, 479-787-6222
Sen. Eddie Cheatham, 870-364-5659
Sen. Bruce Holland, 479-996-0977
General number for the Arkansas Senate: 501-682-2902
Link to petition (for those who haven’t already signed): http://www.change.org/petitions/the-arkansas-state-senate-vote-no-on-hb-1770
Arkansas schools need local control, NOT more years of state control!
-
Petition to the #Arkansas #Senate to REJECT #HB1770
Restore and protect local control of schools!
-
Honorable Senators of the Education Committee:
HB1770, having passed in the House, has now arrived in your committee for consideration. Please vote against this bill. It would, if passed, permit the Commissioner of the State Department of Education, Dr. Tom Kimbrell, to extend state takeovers of local school districts for as long as five years. Existing law already permits two-year takeover periods, and that is enough.
When the state takes over a school district, the voters/taxpayers of that school district are disenfranchised — they lose all voice in the education of their children. Dr. Kimbrell is not an elected official, but was appointed by Governor Mike Beebe. No person in an appointed position should be given this much control over our public schools; it is undemocratic and unAmerican to do so. Our children’s schools need more input from parents and local communities, not less. HB1770 is a big-government bill, designed to extend the taxation without representation which we already have in all school districts already taken over by the state.
Please vote against HB1770. Please help restore local control — and stop big-government tyranny — for the public schools of Arkansas.
Respectfully,
—[Name and address here]
Identity of author withheld from blogging by request. This letter was sent to the members of the Arkansas Senate Education Committee, and explains why HB 1770 must be stopped.
Petition the State Senate here: http://www.change.org/petitions/the-arkansas-state-senate-vote-no-on-hb-1770#
-
#Petition to the #State #Senate of #Arkansas: http://www.change.org/petitions/the-arkansas-state-senate-vote-no-on-hb-1770#
-
Anonymous asked: Instead of just saying go tell your politicians to vote no on HB1770, tell us PCSSD parents and the general public why HB1770 is bad for our education system and why we should be telling our state officials to vote no.
Parents in the PCSSD have been robbed of their voice in running the schools by the state takeover. There’s no elected school board, and hasn’t been since mid-2011.
Without HB1770, this period of state takeover (and disenfranchisement of voters) ends at the end of June. HB1770 would extend this, allowing state takeover for three MORE years.
This is on grounds of “fiscal distress,” remember — and the PCSSD is not really in fiscal distress. They ended last year with over $14 million, and project an ending balance of over $26 million this year.
Isn’t it time control of the PCSSD was given back to taxpayers? To voters? To parents?
HB 1770 stands in the way of doing that. This is why it must be stopped.
-
PETITION to the ARKANSAS SENATE re: HB1770
Urgent short-term petition. HB 1770 threatens to lengthen state control of school districts from two years to five, and could become law this week. Please sign this now, and share it with everyone you know.
-
HB1770 Update
HB1770 has now passed in the Arkansas State House, and moves on to the Senate Education Committee. Please contact these Senators and urge them to vote against this bill.
Senator Johnny Key (R), chair, johnny.key@senate.ar.gov
Senator Joyce Elliott (D), vice-chair, joyce.elliott@senate.ar.gov
Senator Uvalde Lindsey (D), uvalde.lindsey@senate.ar.gov
Senator Alan Clark (R), alan.clark@senate.ar.gov
Senator Jim Hendren (R), jim.hendren@senate.ar.gov
Senator Eddie Cheatham (R), eddie.cheatham@senate.ar.gov
Senator Jason Rapert (R), jason.rapert@senate.ar.gov
Senator Bruce Holland (R), bruce.holland@senate.ar.gov——-
Sample letter:
Honorable Senators of the Education Committee:HB1770, having passed in the House, has now arrived in your committee for consideration. Please vote against this bill. It would, if passed, permit the Commissioner of the State Department of Education, Dr. Tom Kimbrell, to extend state takeovers of local school districts for as long as five years. Existing law already permits two-year takeover periods, and that is enough.When the state takes over a school district, the voters/taxpayers of that school district are disenfranchised — they lose all voice in the education of their children. Dr. Kimbrell is not an elected official, but was appointed by Governor Mike Beebe. No person in an appointed position should be given this much control over our public schools; it is undemocratic and unAmerican to do so. Our children’s schools need more input from parents and local communities, not less. HB1770 is a big-government bill, designed to extend the taxation without representation which we already have in all school districts already taken over by the state.Please vote against HB1770. Please help restore local control — and stop big-government tyranny — for the public schools of Arkansas.Respectfully,[name and address here]
