Crisis in the PCSSD

Fiscal Distress: Teachers Are Not the Problem -- But What Actually Caused It?

Wed, 22 May 2013 17:20:23 -0500

Fiscal Distress: Teachers Are Not the Problem -- But What Actually Caused It?:

The PCSSD is top-heavy with administrators. There are at least 57 people in the PCSSD who cost the taxpayers/voters over $100,000 to employ. Who are they? Administrators, not teachers. Most work in…

ImPACT PCSSD (new website on WordPress)

Wed, 22 May 2013 01:35:25 -0500

ImPACT PCSSD (new website on WordPress):

Devoted to the Restoration of Local Control in the Pulaski County Special School District.

Guessing At Contradictions

Wed, 22 May 2013 01:30:43 -0500

Guessing At Contradictions:

This is Dr. Jerry Guess, PCSSD Superintendent. He does not answer to an elected school board, but to Dr. Tom Kimbrell, the Commissioner of the State Department of Education. Dr. Kimbrell is an appo…

For more:...

Mon, 20 May 2013 06:59:14 -0500

For more: http://impactpcssd.wordpress.com/2013/05/20/what-fiscal-distress/

http://impactpcssd.wordpress.com/2013/05/20/the-murder-of-a-schoo...

Mon, 20 May 2013 06:57:19 -0500

http://impactpcssd.wordpress.com/2013/05/20/the-murder-of-a-school-district/

Source: http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/dispatch-from-nate-bell-land/Content?oid=2851015

A question for the PCSSD, and those attempting to ru(i)n it:

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 06:47:37 -0500

Isn’t it well past the time to confess

That there really is no “fiscal distress?”

A song, by the Violent Femmes, about people who have a severe...

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 06:21:22 -0500

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.

Photo

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 06:14:11 -0500

#HB1770 is now before the #Arkansas #Senate #Education Committee. Please help defeat this bad bill!

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 09:02:07 -0500

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

Sun, 17 Mar 2013 03:26:00 -0500

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..."

Sun, 17 Mar 2013 02:57:17 -0500

“

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:...

Sun, 17 Mar 2013 02:50:26 -0500

#Petition to the #State #Senate of #Arkansas: http://www.change.org/petitions/the-arkansas-state-senate-vote-no-on-hb-1770#

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.

Sat, 16 Mar 2013 17:47:42 -0500

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

Sat, 16 Mar 2013 13:43:00 -0500

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

Sat, 16 Mar 2013 09:51:00 -0500

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:

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]

Submission to this blog -- Sample Letter re: HB 1770

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 04:37:00 -0500

To my state’s lawmakers:

I am a teacher in a school district that has suffered under state control now for nearly two years. This was made possible by a declaration that we were under “fiscal distress.” The 2011-12 school year ended with a balance in the Pulaski County Special School District of over $14 million, and the current year is projected to end with a balance exceeding $26 million. Clearly, if we ever were in fiscal distress, we no longer are.

Despite these facts, HB 1770 threatens to extend the duration of state control for the PCSSD (and other school districts, potentially) from two years to five. It is an undemocratic, big-government, unAmerican bill that will, if it becomes law, continue the taxation without representation now going on in all school districts under state control.

Two years of state control is long enough. The PCSSD doesn’t need five. The voters/taxpayers deserve to have their elected school board back. Please vote against HB 1770 — please vote against big-government control of people’s lives and children.

Sincerely,

[name withheld from blogging by request]

(Sent to stephanie.malone@arkansashouse.org, mperry@windstream.net, butch.wilkins@arkansashouse.org, hank.wilkins@arkansashouse.org, David.Meeks@arkansashouse.org, burrisforstaterep@gmail.com, rkm_72360@yahoo.com, jword@aaasea.org, greg@gregleding.com, fjlove@att.net, kelley@kelleylinck.com, Justin.Harris@arkansashouse.org, kimdhammer@yahoo.com, jeff@jeffwardlaw.com, chris.richey@arkansashouse.org, richard@richardwomack.com, deborah.ferguson@arkansashouse.org, davidlbranscum@hotmail.com, andymayberry@windstream.net, & Betty.Overbey@arkansashouse.org)

You may contact your lawmakers at www.aeaonline.org — look for...

Sat, 09 Mar 2013 08:02:56 -0600

You may contact your lawmakers at www.aeaonline.org — look for “quick links we like” on the right side, enter address, find state rep. and state senator, and tell both to vote NO on HB 1770. Restore local control in the PCSSD!

You may contact your lawmakers at www.aeaonline.org — look...

Sat, 09 Mar 2013 07:32:00 -0600

You may contact your lawmakers at www.aeaonline.org — look for “quick links we like” on the right side, enter address, find state rep. and state senator, and tell both to vote NO on HB 1770.

Arkansas: Tell Your Lawmakers to Vote NO on HB 1770. We do not need more state control of local school districts!

Sat, 09 Mar 2013 07:07:59 -0600

Arkansas: Tell Your Lawmakers to Vote NO on HB 1770. We do not need more state control of local school districts!:

Arkansas HB 1770 would extend the current two-year state takeover-period of schools in fiscal distress to five years. Please contact your legislators and urge them to vote NO on HB 1770. This is the easy way:
1). Go to http://www.aeaonline.org/
2). On that page, look over on the right hand side. You will see a section that says “Quick links we like….” Click on “Who is my state representative? Enter your zip code”
3) on the top of the action alert, you will see a box that reads, “Enter your zip code to find your representative.” Do so.
4). Under “my elected officials” you will see a pink bar that reads “to determine your district please enter your address and city,” do this & click “ok”
5). You will see your STATE REPRESENTATIVE.
Click on your state representative’s name.
6). On his/her page that pops up, click the CONTACT tab & “contact by email”
It will open a box. Please tell them, VOTE NO FOR HOUSE BILL 1770. You can tell why, if you wish. Repeat the process for your state senator.

The music is “Uprising,” by Muse. “They will...

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 06:21:22 -0600

The music is “Uprising,” by Muse.

“They will not force us

They will stop degrading us

They will not control us

We will be victorious!”

PACT and PASS are united!