Attack from Delaware School Board Association

It appears stronger than ever that the Delaware School Board Association is poised to lobby against legislation requiring school districts to put copies of their checkbook ledger online.

Delaware just spent 100’s of 1000’s of dollars upgrading their financial software to People-Soft. Red Clay and other school district accesses and inputs their financial data via Data Service Center in which Red Clay pays out the ass for that service.

When I was a member of the Red Clay Community Financial Review Committee I was being rolled under bus being told no way could the district go online and save there financial reports to Pdf. File and be place on the district webpage as viewable only. I won’t re-hash the bullshit but it was proven to be a lie. This file http://www.scribd.com/doc/3175137/RedClayObjCodes0508a was E-mailed to me but a Red Clay insider and I posted on the internet. This report was pulled via Data Service Center in pdf. Format. It’s the object code of expenditure report in which Red Clay has been post on their website “after” I exposed the bullshit lie. This is not a checkbook ledger of line items expenditures but more defined than bullshit condensed reports the district was putting out.

Now for the checkbook ledger online, here again is another lie! You and I can go online view and printout bank statements and even view the checks that were scanned into the banks files. Now do you think the community is so stupid to believe schools districts don’t get bank statements or access accounts online? Also, they have the software as they enter the detailed data into accounting software either stand alone or bridging to Data Service Center. Like any business school districts can run and print accounts payable and receivable reports. There is nothing stopping a school district from printing the monthly bank ledger statements and then scanning it into pdf. format and posting online as a standalone view only file.

Well well well lookie here, this school district doesn’t seem to have a problem!
http://www.mackinac.org/article.aspx?ID=9329

The taxpayers of the school districts pay association fees for our board members to participate in the Delaware School Board Association. Are we paying these fees so they can band together to screw us? As for the supporting local business may we’ll boycott your products!

Dear state legislators we will be watching to see which legislators oppose putting a simple requirement of a school district’s monthly checkbook ledger online.

Make note, I want to make it clear that this is not just about Red Clay and in fact, Red Clay puts more financial meaningful data on their webpage than “any” school district in the State of Delaware. This is about public education in Delaware and DOE needs to put their itemized expenditures online.

Those opposing school board members seem so righteous to oppose this legislation but yet they stand by while their districts piss money away in wasteful inefficient spending.

The bottom-line is, we are the taxpayers and it is our money not school board members or legislators. So fuck the FOIA where the people are required to pay to see the expenditures of their tax dollars where existing technology can make readily available.

I will not support another Red Clay referendum and will do my best to work against it until full financial transparency is in place!

Wakeup state legislators don’t support the school board’s agenda to hide the money! It time to deliver Delaware and its public education back to the people who you claim to serve.

Hats off to Milford School Distirct! They have a searchable file data base and just need to put their monthly checkbook ledger online by month in pdf. Way ahead of big Red Clay on this one!
http://www.milfordschooldistrict.org/schoolboard/documents.htm

School Vouchers

To save money, Delaware needs school vouchers

“I listened to Gov. Jack Markell’s speech the other day and I heard him mention that, because of this economy, fewer people are able to afford the private and parochial educations and are turning to public schools, which increases costs on the state.”

“Isn’t it time then for the state of Delaware to offer school vouchers? If a Catholic or private school education is offered at a lower cost per student than in public schools, wouldn’t offering families the vouchers reduce the burden on the budget? Couldn’t this be a savings of thousands of dollars for each student who opts to use vouchers?”

Laurie Del Negro, Wilmington

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Kilroy’s Spin!

In theory it all makes sense however, with religious based schools you have issues dealing with separation on church and state. Also as with private schools the state has limited control and would be forced to required state testing as in public and charter schools. Surely the state and local and taxpayers would question the lack of oversight. Then you have the issue of private and religious based schools not being required to have state certified teachers.

Sure raise the argument private and religious based schools are better than public schools! But remember the academic progress or lack of is based on the DSTP and show me the DSTP scores for private and religious based schools.

Think deeper, since the voucher would be drawing from the operational portion of the local school district every parent in the private and religious based schools would apply for vouchers. So vouchers would not only be for those escaping public school but would create a hand out from every parents who currently have kids in private and religious schools. The funding for public schools would collapse. Yes, the pay school taxes! But remember they pay “public school tax.”

Even with charter schools, students who transferred out of private and religious based schools or would have attend these schools their parents pay local school taxes and tuition. School districts like Red Clay were and are reaping school taxes from these parents and not providing any services in return. But as more private and religious bound students attend charter schools their share of local school taxes go to the receiving charter schools. So Red Clay has to cough up the taxes collected where no services were rendered and send them to the receiving charter schools.

What happens when these private and religious based schools need more money? They’ll raise tuition which will end up exceeding the school voucher putting the poor and middle class back to square one, public schools.

Let’s face it we need to fix our public schools and yes for the 1,000th time, we need full financial transparency of our public schools before we can make the major turn in reforming public education! Let’s hope the state school board association doesn’t get their way in blocking financial transparency legislation. If there is nothing to hide why fight it? I’ll put odds on local school boards and labor organizations will fight school vouchers but it’s odd they are’ntdemanding full financial transparency!

The Community News prints Kilroy’s letter in its entirety

Go Kim and Eric !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
http://www.communitypub.com/letters/x108136084/Support-for-parents-on-the-Red-Clay-school-board

How about all you supporter! Send your letters to the News Journal and The Community News. FYI, The Community News does not edit!

Also, the stuff I put in about me was meant to show I was and am involved. Just wanted to show I wasn’t basing my support on be acquaintances of Kim and Eric. So the endorsement was based on being an involvement parent and community member who knows the issues and the kind of leadership needed on the board! It’s time we have parents seated at the decision-making table.

The seizure of Delaware Public Education

Will the Delaware School Board Association take a position to oppose legislation that required full financial transparency?

The Delaware School Board Association is made up of representatives from all Delaware public school boards with a few corporate members.

I am not sure of their legislative position on the legislation re: Full financial Accountability and proposed changes in the school board oath of office however, I hope our state legislators don’t bend over for them if they were to take an opposing position.

I am tracking the legislation and will question any legislator who takes an opposing position and ask why! We the community and parents have no legitimate paid lobbyist and have to work against the current to establish our rights. Think about it, how many parents would oppose full financial transparency of our public schools and DOE?

No matter what, at the end of the day it all falls back on Governor Jack Markell who has the executive power to make an executive order ordering full financial transparency of public schools and DOE.

If there is nothing to hide than why oppose transparency??

Dear President Obama and Vice-President Biden, you are fools if you send more education funding to Delaware without financial transparency. My friends, the public schools are not broken! We have good teachers being led by broken leadership and influential lobbyist! A government out of control is a reflection of the people not in control. Kilory!

To the potential school board members around the state, please support full financial transparency as it’s you integrity stepping up on the heels and coattails before you! You election if so elected is about change not the same old agendas.

Dear Jack and Matt, I want to work with you not against you and it’s hard as you are seated at the top of the power food chain and I at the bottom! Reform of education must start with funding that includes full financial transparency. You have a moral obligation to deliver this state government and it’s public schools back to the people! Please step up and be true patriots and honors those brave member of the Delaware Centennial Regiment.

1777
“The war had come to Delaware. During September and October, the British occupied Wilmington. The British captured Delaware’s president John McKinly and seized many public records”.

Many don’t know our President aka Governor Mckinly
“McKinly was elected to the 1st Delaware General Assembly in October of 1776 and became the 1st Speaker of the House. In the following February a motion was made to elect a President (Governor) and John McKinly received 19 of the 23 votes. During that time the Governor was elected by the Legislature.”

“The British, landing near the Bohemia River in Maryland marched into Wilmington and into Governor McKinly’s house and rousted him while he was still sleeping. McKinly was taken as a prisoner and placed aboard the British Warship “Roebuck” in the Delaware River. He was later transferred to the “Solebay” where he made many pleas to Generals Washington and Howe without any success. To make matters worse he also was replaced as the Governor on September 22, 1777 by Thomas McKean while still a prisoner of the British.”

Jack, it’s your job to return those records back to the people and I am talking full financial transparency! Don’t hold the taxpayers prisoners!

Improving Delaware Public Schools! What went wrong?

I am a bit confused as on one hand our president and governor are calling for better pay and highly qualified teachers and on the other hand our governor is calling on an 8% pay cut for public school teachers and all support staff. At first glance I felt the across the board cut for all state workers was the fair thing to do to prevent layoffs. I have really mixed feeling here as why should the state police take a pay cut and not our state teachers?

We cannot blame all of the Delaware financial woes on George Bush because there was the Minner factor. Raising taxes to cover the budget short fall isn’t the answer which only penalizes the people for irresponsible government. But how do you keep the promise made to improving public education?

The LEAD Report provided a plan that could reduce public education expenditures by approximately $150 million dollars but yet no action has been taken.

I can’t blame Governor Jack Markell for his bold budget reducing plan that includes across the board pay cuts for all state employees but its apparent the pay cut does not impact our state legislators pay. If the legislators approve Markell’s plan they better ante up 8% their pay and contribute 2% towards their healthcare.

I am not blaming Markell but we heard all the campaign speeches from him and Obama & Biden about improving America’s schools. Cutting teacher’s and support staff’s pay is a piss poor way to deliver those campaign promises. Did the candidates know there was a deepening recession? Dam right!

Folks it is time to face reality, the mechanics of Delaware school finances is broken and take a shot at DESA however, let’s not forget the failure of our legislators as a group to deliver full financial transparency of public schools and DOE. HOWEVER THERE IS HOPE. See HB-87 and HB-88! I ask all of you to contact your legislators NOW and ask the legislators to support these legislations that require financial transparency we need in out public schools system. Their failure to do so is a direct failure of the public for not stepping up in support of these legislations. Let’s help out teachers and students by flushing out wasteful spending at the district levels.

I know big brother in Washington, D.C. visits Kilroy’s and I hope they send word to Joe Biden and Obama that they may a campaign promise to improve public education and yet Delaware is being dealt a might blow toward delivery those promises. Come on Joe at least require all federal funding of public schools be posted on a line item expenditure report!

The depression era sprit of pulling together and sacrificing together is a cynical attempt to cover the asses of failed government local and national and failure to provide the public full transparency of their tax dollars.

As for my teacher friends, I with you but there will come a time when you need to purge the ineffective teachers among your ranks. You have an obligation to delivering your share in quality education and can’t do that by covering the asses of slackers and ineffective teachers. I am for continuing education but not for bearing the cost to retrain ineffective teachers.

Yea, yea Kilroy you of all people have the nerve to question those who have an education far superior then yours. But then ask yourselves why in the hell do I care more about public education than those failing within?

Kilroy flip-flops no rent for CSW

Due to the recession and pending state education budget cuts I’ve changed my position on requiring Charter School of Wilmington to pay rent. Just make note those who claim CSW is a Red Clay school I say you’re full of shit. CSW is a corporation and not a legal entity of Red Clay Consolidated School District. CSW of Wilmington does pay towards building operational expenses but no rent for space. The biggest financial impact on Red Clay local taxpayers is the capital expense benefiting the 48% of CSW students who don’t live in the bounds of Red Clay where their parents don’t contribute towards capital expense.

The capital expenditures of $23,000,000.00 that went into Wilmington Campus breaks down to 60% local tax $13,800,000.00 and 40% state share of $9,200,000.00. Factoring out the 53% Red Clay students where their parents pay capital expense tax the bottom line is Red Clay taxpayers funded $4,320,000.00 for the benefit of non Red Clay students. Yes, yes its Red Clay building and Red Clay needs to maintain the building. But that argument is weak as Red Clay is not charging CSW rent at the same time Red Clay offers no financial relief to its other proud charter schools. The relation is quite bias.

HOWEVER! Again, due to the recession and pending education budget cuts I am concern forcing payment of rent at this time could wipeout CSW. Those who oppose charter schools would be delighted. I don’t oppose charter schools just Red Clay’s old board guard’s charter school agenda which distracted from the needs of other Red Clay tradition schools. If the board can’t make the traditional Red Clay schools all superior why in the hell should the board be so active in building charter schools. Also, the board has disregarded state charter approval laws and the right for public comments prior to voting on charter school applications. It’s like allowing the same ship builder who built the Titanic to build Titanic II. Also, I do question the crafting of the charter school laws.

Kilroy to be Markell’s Court Jester

News Journal

“Markell last week proposed allowing three new casinos; allowing sports betting at existing casinos, the new ones and 10 other sites such as bars and restaurants; and increasing the state’s share of casino and racetrack revenue”

Jack:

The existing casinos really oppose the addition of three more casinos. Makes sense because it won’t increase the number of gamblers in Delaware. It would just spread them around causing a reduction in attendance to each of the existing casinos.

Dump the plan of adding three more casinos and increase the plan on the number of other sites such as bars and restaurants perhaps to 30 to start. Also, still allow the three existing casinos to allow sports betting. It’s all about creating new revenues for the state and casinos. Also, it will create more jobs throughout the state with the other sites.

Let’s think Nextel! Would you of had increased the number of Nextel sales outlets knowing you’ve already max out the market share and by adding other outlets you would only hurt existing ones.

Look Jack, I have this funny looking hat with bells on the ends and I’ll be more that glad to become your paid court jester.

Dover Finally Stepping Up!

145th General AssemblyHouse Bill # 88

Primary Sponsor:



Lavelle

Additional Sponsor(s): Sen. Peterson

CoSponsors:



Reps. D. Short, Hudson, Manolakos; Sens. Simpson, Bonini

Introduced on :

03/24/2009

Long Title:

AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 14 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO A SEARCHABLE ARCHIVE OF ALL CONTRACTS ENTERED INTO BY SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND CHARTER SCHOOLS.

Synopsis:

This Act requires the creation and maintenance of a searchable website for contracts entered into by school districts and charter schools.

Current Status:

House Education Committee On 03/24/09





Actions History:

Mar 24, 2009 – Introduced and Assigned to Education Committee in House

Finanical transparency in the pipeline!

145th General AssemblyHouse Bill # 87

Lavelle
Additional Sponsor(s): Sen. Bunting

CoSponsors:
Reps. D. Short, Manolakos; Sens. Simpson, Sorenson, Bonini
Introduced on :
03/24/2009

Long Title:
AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 14 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE DISCLOSURE OF CHECKING ACCOUNT ACTIVITY AND PAY AND BENEFITS OF SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND CHARTER SCHOOLS.
Synopsis:

This Act requires each school district and charter school to post its checking account activity (other than payroll checks) on its website. It also requires pay and benefits to be posted by job title at the beginning of each fiscal year
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The exclusion of employees names does is fine with me as listed the number of employees at each pay grade and position is a fine start! I will be corresponding with the legislators to ensure private (individual) vendors names are listed as they are “not” employees!

If someone wants to go on a witch hunt as to how much a certain teacher makes then file a FOIA. We need to see where money is pissed away on office furniture for the powers to be and what the managers are spending money on.

As far as Red Clay, if there isn’t anything to hide then why the resistance to full financial transparency?

Spending $60,000.00 on an audit for school year 2007-08 only the same year DOE FRT was watching is wasting taxpayer’s money! The board wants to roll the community under the bus by proving they did a wonderful job dealing with the financial meltdown. However, to date no one was held accountable. Yes, its time to move on but never forget!

The time is no for financial transparency! School district like Red Clay don’t want to step up and open the books so it’s about time our state legislators step up!

Kilroy hits the lottery !

That’s right Kilroy hit the lottery big time! However, like everyone else my pay was cut 10% and now 4 days a week! Money is tight and many of the little things have been cut out.

No more Saturday morning breakfasts with Mrs. Kilroy! Friday night Pizza takeout is no more, frozen to save a few bucks. Even my bitch Brittany had to cut back on little treats. Ops, forgot to mention I am referring to my Brittany Spaniel. No more dinner a Walter’s Steak House or Limberti’s.

So big lottery winnings! I as fueling the wife’s car up on Sunday and had $1.00 in my pocket and said what the hell! I purchased a $1.00 lottery scratch-off aka rip-off! Wow, 20 bucks! We’ll I didn’t buy 20 more rip-offs to try to win more! I took it home to the Mrs. and 20 bucks (no not that) can buy a few snacks this week or not have to stretch that gallon of milk. Folks, that’s how hard it gets! Pay cut, increase in healthcare cost re: employee share. Not to forget turning down the heat. It all sucks ! When you get 10% of your pay abruptly taking away its like somebody doubled your car payment!

Last summer I had to get the Mrs. a new car, Ford Fusion as her 97 Jeep Cherokee (6 cyl) gas hog was about to go dead! So after 11 years the she had to go! (not the wife the car). Me, yea I got one of those Jeep Cherokees, a 1994(6 cyl -15 years old) and boy was it great not having car payments for a few years! My commute now 4 days a week is 6 mile round trip and a tank a month is all I need.

Folks those of you that are middle age this shit with pay cuts, more towards healthcare and forget about any raises, sucks! I’ll admit like many people I pissed money away on stupid shit over the years but dam, isn’t that one reason your work your ass of to enjoy a little extra? So, now winning $20.00 on lottery scratch off is big bucks these days. One thing I did right about 12 years ago was close the Visa and Master card. AMX all the way pay as you go and no credit card debt. So now it’s a game of keeping the farm and fighting to say middle-class!