Markell / Copeland ! Left Hand / Right Hand????

“I am Charlie Copeland and I want to earn your vote for Lt. Governor”

Wow! Did he say, “earn your vote”? Very humble approach Charlie, I am impressed!

“Independent voice that will bring balance to state government “

“Bring Balance” Wow, somebody took this boy to the woodshed!

I think Markell and Copeland might be a winning team! No a bad idea have the right hand watch the left have or the other way around.

Charlie, I know you are pro School Choice as I am but when you can’t afford to get to the feeder bus stop for that Choice school what good is Choice if your poor. Be careful how loud you blow that horn.

Who knows, maybe a Markell / Copeland team can deliver open government?

Sorry Bill your a wonderful man but your card game is with the family not political poker in Dover!

added 10/01/2008

I am proud to have voted to protect insurance consumers. “Senate Bill 31 which bans the use of credit scoring for policy renewals for auto and homeowners insurance is just one example. I also voted for Senate Bill 191 to protect homeowners from having their homeowners insurance policies canceled for making claims.”

Re: Senate Bill 31 Copeland voted yes! I must say Charlie and I debated this bill whereas I opposed using credit scoring to set insurance premium rates as insurance is a pay as you go service not an extension of credit where the lender would loss if the borrower defaults. Maybe he does listens!

Charlie was on the fence but in the end he did what was right for consumers. I guess I do have a voice in the issues. I hope Charlie can see some of my concerns with charter schools and issues in education have some level relevancy.

If Copeland moves a little more to the center which would enable him to hear balance from the people not the politicians, we might have a leader who will bring that change needed.

Kilroy calls it for Copeland !

Just from a political perspective I call it for Senator Charles Copeland as the next Lt. Governor! Sorry Matt Denn but Copeland is out charming the voters!

Not that I am excited to make this prediction but Copeland has made some great advances into the Wilmington and New Castle County minority votes.

Who can deny Obama and Biden won’t secure the record number of minority voters. Though Copeland is a Republican he has no doubt won over many leading Delaware minority leaders.

Copeland is a champion of prison reform in healthcare and prison sentencing. I have to agree with him that our criminal justice system is a bit blinded by color and certainly blind to the inhume healthcare of those incarcerated.
http://www.njisj.org/pubdocs/red_072805_delaware_report.pdf

I also agree there needs to be a plan to help restore civil liberties to those convicted of felonies that were a result of non-violent crimes. I feel once a person serves their sentence they did the time for the crime and in a non-violent felon’s case, I think five years of living a clean law-abiding life warrants resorting voting rights and seven year their record should be cleared. We must put some incentives in place to motive those convicted and done their time to join the rest of law-abiding society.

We just can’t keep sending people to jail to serve the time and then release them to serve a lifetime of social prison.

We cannot continue to give violent criminal lighter sentence to keep the prison population down. Violent offenders are more of threat to society than lower level offenders.

If one of the primary functions of the Lt. Governor is to oversee the Board of Pardons then this might be the place for Copeland and hopefully he can move some sensible legislation the maintains the integrity of our criminal justice system but offer a little more fair-handedness.

Before you over react, we’re talking non-violent offense and don’t think I am flipping back to the GOP! I might be crazy but I am not nuts!

Mr. Copeland if you are a champion for those locked up why not be a champion for the free and infringe on school boards who imprison our public education! Maybe Markell will help educate your sorry butt on these issue.

The result from my complaint to the USDOE OIG

May 17, 2008

Mr. John P. Higgins
Inspector General
U.S. Department of Education
550 12th Street SW
Washington, DC 2020

http://kilroysdelaware.blogspot.com/2008/05/dear-mr-inspector-general.html
“I come to you today out of concerns of “possible” misuse and lack of substantiation of the expenditure of the Title 1 20% set aside funding for SES. My contention is, since the district’s finances went to a negative balance forcing Red Clay to acquire a commercial loan and a loan from the State of Delaware it is possible the SES reserve funding went down the drain.”

This a portion of the letter I sent the USDOE OIG. As you can see I said “possible” I was sure because the questions I was asking as a member of Red Clay Community Financial Review Committee weren’t being satisfied.

USDOE did communicate back to me and informed me they were referring my complaint to Delaware DOE

Tuesday, July 15, 2008 9:37 AM

Dear Mr. Allison:

“Involvement of Federal funds in the issues you discuss is a possibility.
However, our office believes that the State is in a better position to research the allegations. In the event the State determines that federal dollars are involved, notification of that finding will be provided to our office.”
Sincerely, Inspector General’s
Hotline/cjd ED/12170-08
http://www.redclay.k12.de.us/SchoolBoard/CFRC/0809/Minutes/CFRC_MM_2008-08-04.pdf
My so-call allegation was “possible” as I didn’t know and felt since Red Clay had a financial meltdown it was “possible.”

All in all, I feel good I did file the complaint because as you can see the CFRC desires to form an audit committee. The really need to do this because the just can’t take an IBU at face value and put the approval stamp on it.

Kilroy doing some homework!

Red Clay eliminated Choice Transportation for Red Clay Elementary Schools in 2005. Currently Red Clay Choice elementary students are either being transported to and from their Choice school by parents or taken to the feeder bus stop. This could account for what appears to be re-segregation of Red Clay city schools.

So currently Red Clay middle schools and high schools student are using Choice Transportation. Keep in mind there is no Red Clay middle school within the city of Wilmington. Cab is 6-12 but is a selective school based on an audition test. Keep in mind Red Clay does not have a high school within the city of Wilmington. Again rule out Cab.

So the fact is there is not re-segregation of Red Clay City of Wilmington middle and high schools are there are none! Wait! Stop the presses! What happen to Neighborhood Schools in the City of Wilmington? Somebody really go rolled under the bus. Should Red Clay have a city middle school and high school? Is it fair for city kids not to have a neighborhood middle school or high schools? Is it fair for city students to be bused to the suburbs?

No other school district in the state of Delaware provides Choice Transportation! But no other school district has students not assigned to a high school or requires them to complete a Choice application and abide by the choice transportation rules. Is this fair? Does it discriminate?

Red Clay has two magnet schools that are 100% Choice with no feeder pattern. Theses students will get pickup as close to their homes as possible. Is this fair? Does it discriminate?

Let’s dump the word Choice Transportation and replace it with a preferential transportation policy that is no equal to all students.

My guess in the board vote at October’s board meeting will be 4-3 in favor of eliminating Choice Transportation as we know starting fall 2009.

Kilroy’s prediction! No more than 5 or 6 parents will fill out a green slip to oppose the elimination of Choice Transportation. The Delaware Secretary of Education will stand down. No legislator will attend the board to speak against the proposal. I will be there and speak out particularly for those students with no assigned high school and force to Choice which will force parents to drive them to the in feeder bus stop of that choice.

Judging by the lack of perseverance of those wanting full financial transparency the 4 board members voting for the elimination of Choice Transportation has nothing to worry about in fact one will be vote out of office this coming May. So I guess its early pay back!

This issue is not about the board’s concerns with school finances, far from it!

Do make note the board is voting on the district proposal given by Merv at the August board meeting! This is not a board proposal as they were ask to support it by district administrators!

added 8:30 pm

Mervin B. Daugherty, Ed.D.

Assistant Superintendent for

Academics

August 20, 2008

“There will not be an attendance zone assignment to Wilmington High School for ninth grade students. Current eighth graders in the Wilmington High School attendance zone have enrollment options for high school selection but must complete a school choice application by the deadline to be eligible for the options. All Wilmington High School attendance zone students will be guaranteed enrollment in the school selected (Dickinson, A.I.DuPont High or McKean) and will be provided transportation according to the Board-adopted transportation plan for school choice.”

Again, in my opinon assigned some sudents to a feeder high school and not all does appears to be discrimination. Then to tell those not assigned the must Choice to a high school then comply with choice transpotation that may create great hardship the by forcing parents to transport their children to the feeder bus stop of that choice school in my opinon should be criminal. Put students in limbo status is wrong and appears to be discrimination.

Right is Right!

As much as part of me says don’t the other side forces me to do so!

For the last 13 years I have been involved in Red Clay and much of my bitching has been behinds the scenes. I’ve been eyeball to eyeball toe to toe with Bob A and many phone calls and debates with board members. It was a healthy give and take process.

Right or wrong on the issue my heart is in it all the way and when someone enlightens me on the issues with support I will yield. I am one for saying if a man’s ego exceeds that of his integrity he has a personal problem. For the last year I’ve don’t all I could to discredit Mr. Becnel as a person far beyond the issues. I’ve personalized the issues to the extreme.

However, I strongly stand my position on the issue. So, more for me failing myself and a bit of the right thing to do I must make a personal apology to Red Clay Board President Mr. Becnel. It the right thing to do! Blame the brainwashing of the years of Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts.

Gee, I can hear Copeland now, what about me! Don’t know Charlie, Becnel pissed me off and you disappointed me! I’ll have to go to Mecca on that one.

So bacon boy bring your camera and James Bond recorder as I must make the public apology! But make note all I will not budget on the issues! One thing I’ve learned is, even with reasonable clear evidence particularly about the charter school application votes and stood alone! Even for Kilroy it gets to be a lonely battle!

What I do isn’t about entertainment as I take the issues seriously and feel everyone needs to be involved in the community and speak up if you “feel” something is wrong. Many people throw stones from the safety of their homes and hide behind anonymous. But, I step out of the shadows and say what I “feel” that needs to be said.

Doesn’t mean I won’t say I feel Mr. Becnel’s position may be crap but I must leave it at those positions.

I am not sure I’ll be going to hell or heaven and maybe I might not get assigned to a feeder pattern. However, I must do what I feel is right.

Red Clay lighting the desegregation fuse!

See FixRedClay for links to News Journal articles
http://www.fixredclay.com/2008/09/two-news-journal-articles-in-case-you.html
“Opinions on busing run strong” & “Schools change as parents choose”

Red Clay’s pending board vote to eliminate Choice School transportation will light the fuse that may cause legal action that could involve the federal courts.

The Choice School program does represent the best means to promote racial integration in Red Clay and all school districts. The Choice Transportation is series of convenient special bus stop hubs that transports student to their school of choice. Members of Red Clay school board particularly Jack Buckley wants to eliminate Choice transportation citing the need for curbing transportation cost. However, neither he nor the district provided the actual cost savings. Buckley and certain other board members want to require parents to drive their children to a bus stop within the school of choice or to and from the schools by their own means. Sure the need for the Choice buses would be eliminated but how many buses will be added to the feeder pattern bus stop.

However, here is where Red Clay is lighting the fuse and may awake the sleeping desegregation giant. There are many parents particularly high poverty parents living in the city of Wilmington whose transportation are mainly family, friends and public transportation. Cutting out Choice Transportation will put these parents and students in a position where they may not participate in School Choice. This Choice Transportation is vital to ensure all students have equal access to Choice Schools.

Red Clay is pulling the good faith rug out from under the community that keeps the playing field level and promotes uninhibited access to Choice Schools.

All eyes are on state legislators, the Delaware Secretary of Education, the Delaware State Board of Education, Mayor James Baker and certain community leaders to intervene.

I’ll put odds on Red Clay just moving forward with this dangerous action that “will” spark major debates and concerns.

The News Journal articles are a warning shot that there are concerns. My guess with Red Clay shooting themselves in the foot will end up spending more money in the courts defending their actions then the actual transportation cost savings which is still a mystery even to the district’s Community Financial Review Committee the so-called Red Mushrooms in the dark! Board member Buckley is a member of this committee and he hasn’t provided actual transportation cost savings.

Buckley destined to be the next school board president may be unraveling a future nightmare he will have to deal with.

The district went from a prediction of $260,000.00 June 30th carryover to a $4,700,000.00 June 30th carryover putting them out of DOE Financial Recovery. That ever surprised unknowing district Community Financial Review Committee.

President James Buckley Bush! What is the rush to war !

Wake up Mike!

Lessons from the good old days!

Stone Ballon
http://www.stoneballoon.com/stoneballoon30.html

I came across this website, check out the photos from the 30th Stone Balloon Anniversary. (Gone but not forgotten)

The Balloon brings back fond memories and a few fuzzy ones. In 1975 I graduated from the Crescendo in New Jersey where the drinking age use to be 18 and Delaware at the time 20 and I made my first visit to the Stone Balloon. Here was this fairly young guy Bill Stevenson who owned the Stone Balloon standing on the stage at last call telling people, “ Please drive careful and if you feel you can’t drive I’ll provide you with a Taxi and your car will be safe in my parking lot.” I use to frequent the Deer Park, Crescendo, Mariners, Way Out Inn, Tally-ho, Brandywine Club, Alley, Odyssey and let’s night forget the Park (Richardson Park). I don’t remember managers or owners of any of these other places stepping up like Bill did. Bill may have fallen from grace but in the mist of it all he took some sense of responsibility before the war on drinking and driving and MADD. This guy cared enough to consistently remind his customers not to drink and drive and that he would provide a Taxi if needed.

Somebody might pop in here and throw in he was just protecting himself from lawsuits. However, back in those days that wasn’t the game. If it were, surely all the other bars would be doing the same. This was at a time even the police would let you slide!

Let’s get back to that Crescendo! OMG, talk about sex, drugs and rockin roll! This place was where Disco and Rock got married! I honestly think the idea for the second Delaware Memorial Bridge can from some drunken engineer returning to Delaware after a night at the Crescendo. I mean, the trip over you would see and drive over the one existing bridge. However, on the way home after a night at the Crescendo a second bridge seemed to pop up! I had it down to an art and always pick the bridge (vision) on the left.

True story! It was the spring of 1973 and I owned a 1963 Ford Galaxy convertible. I was driving home from the Crescendo drunk doing about 85 miles an hour on I-95. I was approaching the exit for Newport and heard this scratching sound. I slowed down and it seems like it went away but I still faintly hear it. From where I was at, it was about 5 minutes from home. I got home and park the car. The next morning my mom asked with go buy her some cigarettes. I got into my car drove about 500 feet and the left front tire fell off! The axle also known as the spindle snapped!

Here’s the thing, we’re only talking a 5 minute timeline from when I heard the noise until I parked the car. If I would have left the Crescendo a few minutes earlier or was delayed on the road the odds are very great that the axle could have broken while I was driving 85 miles and hour in a convertible with no seat belt on. We’ll I guess I was blessed and Red Clay was cursed! From that day on my drinking habits changed. I still would go to bars and get a bit trashed however; I would drink a little more early in the night and stop drinking well in advance of last call. I enjoyed dancing and pretty much spent the night doing that. By time it was time for the bar to close which in most cases it seemed like it was about 1 am I was pretty well sober. (Brandywine Club about 4 am)

I have to watch my potty-mouth here as I don’t want to disappoint by blog guardian angel trying to reform me (that’s a good thing). However, staying relativity sober came in handy when meeting a young ladies.

Alcohol does make you feel good and gives you that little boost to get up on the dance floor. However, if you drink to drown your sorrows the answer isn’t in the bottom of that glass or bottle. I had many sorrows in those days and still do but just find other ways to fill the empty holes. The pain and sorrows never go away and feeding yourself alcohol to treat the pain will only bring it all back.

Summer of Love born 1967 died 1970

Summer of Love 1967 San Francisco
Woodstock 1969 Jefferson Airplane with Grace Slick

Kent State University 1970

The Summer of Love was born in 1967 and died 1970.

The decade between 1960 and 1970 saw the loss of JFK, RFK, MLK, many who dare to stand up during the Civil Rights Movement and these young students from Kent State University protesting the war in Vietnam.

Vietnam War! Some brothers came home scarred for life, some brothers died and some just never came home.

God bless them all!

Minner’s Gift to Governor Jack Markell

http://www.fixredclay.com/
Friday, September 26, 2008

The follow is a comment I left on fixredclay.com post in reference to the rape of a Dickinson High School staff by a student with a criminal history. Please go check it out. I didn’t want go into one of my long rants in their comment section and I do have more to say.

It’s not the schools it’s the system and the failing Family Court. We have a broken juvenile justice system that fails to provide proper family intervention. Many kids are dysfunctional because the family is dysfunctional! Why didn’t this parent contact the school and tell them they are concern with their child’s behavior and to at least monitor him.

But let’s no kid ourselves as most of America’s school extreme violence comes from the loners, quiet ones.School Counselors are not the same these days as duties really have changed to becoming more of career counselors and support staff in the schools. I honestly think the district needs to step up crisis intervention training for all staff. Not to make them social-workers but help them better read student’s negative behavior.

I worked 7 years part-time for Pike Creek RTC (Residential Treatment Center) and a year fulltime for NET Treatment Foster Program. The population was delinquent adolescents. That pocketful of college credits I have are in Human Services. Many of these kid’s families are in serious crisis and it usually the kids who are removed. I’ve restrained many tough kids who would physically act out and by time the intervention was over the kids would be in tears pouring their heart out. And, honestly a few tears to my eyes.

Red Clay is not at fault and reading the News Journal article I’ll give them credit for saying enough is enough and it’s time for major changes. Unfortunately it always takes a major incident to force change! Remember 9-11?Don’t full yourself folks your kids are safer in even Red Clay’s schools then some of the best neighborhoods and even churches. Put pressure on your legislators to get behind Red Clay! Our schools need notification within 48 hours at best when a student is involved in assault of all nature and felony crimes. Red Clay / schools in turn must have the school principal and school counselor have a session with the student within reasonable time of notification. There are many kids who are on Level 3 probation which is suspended commitment to Ferris. One more incident then off they go to Ferris! This is the stage these kids will explode! “Every school” needs to know if there are students on Level 3. It’s been a few years since I’ve been involved and maybe there are new terms but the fact remains there are kids one step away from Ferris.

Additionally,

During my employment with NET part of my responsibilities was to participate in any criminal hearing involving youths under my responsibility. I would take these kids to family court to sit through a circus! At time the DFS, CHM, YRS workers would be present along with arresting officers, probation officer and others. The juvenile courts system is a mess because there appropriate placement is limited! Caseworker have enormous case load and the pay sucks. Pay was primary reason I abandoned the pursuit in this field. I very much enjoyed working with these kids and their families but dam, I had to feed my family. I did quite well working in the field without a degree as it was intense OJT. I started as volunteer and this is where I first met Dana Garrett and he was a great partner working with some very tough kids.

Our juvenile justice system is BROKEN! Just as the adult justice system is. We warehouse drug users who are taking up space to put the drug pusher. The intervention offer many kids is very watered down! When a adolescent in state care for mental health / behavior issues reaches the age 18 they are discharge and in some cases are taken to a local motel where the state provide about two weeks rent. There are speicalized foster-care placements for many of these kids and the foster parents aren’t compensated well. Delaware does send kids out of state for cost I am sure reaches $800-1000.00 a day.

The state knows many of these kids are in need of placements that do provide in-house education programs. Our public schools have been a dumping ground for many kids in need and are better suited in a more secure setting. I think it’s time for the state to start placing “state” interventionist in the public schools to deal with those they have abandon.

We need to end the transformation of public schools as an institution for learning into mental health institutions warehouse “children” in dire needs of services and support a “school” is incapable of providing.

Governor Markell, hear me well there are serious issues going on with addressing children and families in “crisis”. Ruth hides the truth and is going to be up to you to expose the facts and address them!